The airwaves are full of the pundits talking about the critical issues facing the ’08 election, but candidates are rarely asked about the health of veterans – a responsibility that will become costly in the face of a nationwide prescription drug bill that amounts to more than Iraq war spending and health administration costs that are Herculean compared to Canada.

That reality is: Iraq War veterans share essentially the same health coverage as civilians. And, they're almost as likely to be uninsured; one in every eight uninsured individuals, according to a Harvard study, are veterans. While many assume that the United States Armed Forces would provide their war veterans with solid treatment, this is sadly not the case for many veterans.  Veterans often turn to private insurance companies for their coverage, often at high expense.