Kryptonite

CNN is reporting that "Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki confirmed Tuesday that the Obama administration is considering a controversial plan to make veterans pay for treatment of service-related injuries with private insurance."

Senators like Patty Murray have already said there's no way the proposal would win approval in Congress. But I'm hard-pressed to understand why the administration is considering this. It's a fairly basic tenet that if people get themselves hurt protecting our country, it's on the government to take care of that hurt. The CNN story gives very few details on why the administration is considering this, other than Shinseki's confirmation that it's under discussion. Perhaps this is part and parcel of a larger health care reorganization? Perhaps there will be a reorganization of how TRICARE is set up and paid for? None of this is clear.

But it's bad optics. Veterans' benefits are--and probably should be--a political third rail. But at absolute minimum, it would seem that if Shinseki's going to confirm this is under discussion, a good explanation of the change and the rationale behind it should be part and parcel of that confirmation.