Health care cuts put wounded veterans at risk

For disabled veterans, courage in the line of duty ought to be rewarded with dignified, compassionate medical care post-discharge. Yet for too many injured soldiers, signing exit papers means entering a flawed health care system that systematically undermines patients’ health, independence and long-term stability.

Although the Trump administration has taken promising steps to improve medical facilities, strengthen hospital oversight and extend access to care at the Department of Veterans Affairs, a parallel policy change at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services — the expansion of competitive bidding to include urological and related supplies — quietly threatens veterans’ access to high-quality medical equipment.

Of the 300,000 Americans living with spinal cord injuries, roughly one-fourth are veterans. I count myself among this group. On Nov. 2, 2003, the Chinook helicopter I crewed was shot down near Fallujah, Iraq, killing 16 of the 37 people on board, including three close friends.

I survived the crash, but I sustained a severe spinal injury that left me with cauda equina syndrome, loss of sensation, impaired bowel and bladder function, and weakness in my legs.

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