USA Today Editorial, Opinion Piece Debate Veterans’ Health Care
Reports of "potentially dangerous problems" in the U.S. military's health care system "poke holes in the military's claims that it has learned the hard lessons from mishandling veterans' Gulf War illnesses," a USA Today editorial states. An Oct. 16 report by the General Accounting Office found that a centralized database designed to store troops' health assessments taken before and after military service was "incomplete or at odds with information in individuals' medical records," as well as "patchy" records regarding possible exposure to chemical agents during battle, the editorial states. The military should avoid the "tragic health legacy" of the first Gulf War through "systematic changes to safeguard the health of a new group of war veterans," the editorial concludes (USA Today, 10/28).
Health Care is Top Priority for Military, Counterpoint States
Military health care "continues to display an unmatched capability to protect our servicemembers against illness and injury," Dr. William Winkenwerder, assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, writes in an accompanying counterpoint opinion piece. According to Winkenwerder, military officials have "learned from the first Gulf War" and are "absolutely not" complacent in addressing "problems in access to health care." Winkenwerder writes, "Protecting the health of military personnel is the core responsibility of all who serve in the military health system, and it remains my paramount priority" (Winkenwerder, USA Today, 10/28).
