LT. GOVERNOR BROWN: MITT ROMNEY PRIVATIZATION PLAN WOULD DAMAGE CARE FOR VETERANS

ANNAPOLIS (November 17, 2011) – In response to Mitt Romney's proposal to privatize veterans’ health care by introducing a voucher system, Lt. Governor Brown, a Colonel in the Army Reserve and the nation's highest ranking elected official to serve a tour of duty in Iraq, issued the following statement:

“Our brave men and women in uniform have risked everything in service to their country, and it is our duty to provide them with the high quality care and support they have earned. Mitt Romney's private voucher scheme would push our veterans away from the specialized and experienced care that the Department of Veterans Affairs has been providing for decades and force them to find their own care through private insurers. Vouchers would increase costs for veterans and damage their quality of care, and have been strongly opposed by veterans’ organizations. While President Obama is fighting to protect benefits for our veterans and help put our returning servicemembers back to work, Mitt Romney would rather undermine the very resources they depend on.”