FoxNews.com is running an article featuring the inflammatory headline, “Veterans Angered By Exclusion of Military Health Benefits From List of OK'd Programs.” I have no idea what purpose the article is supposed to serve, other than to advance the assertion made in the article by the VFW that “The president and the Democratic leadership are betraying America's veterans.”

Here's the backstory. The Senate health bill that the House passed on Sunday lists as providing “minimum essential coverage” one federal health plan that covers veterans who are on Medicare, but not other TRICARE military and veteran health insurance programs. Some have alleged that this means that members of the military and veterans and their families could be in violation of the bill's individual mandate provision if they keep their current insurance.

However, the chairmen of the relevant committees have stated that while TRICARE coverage is not specifically mentioned in the bill, it “would satisfy the requirements of the bill.” Moreover, even if there were a problem, Congress would have an immense amount of time to fix it, as the individual mandate provision doesn't kick in until 2013.

Moreover, as even FoxNews.com acknowledges, last week the House introduced and passed legislation - by a 413-0 vote - making clear that all other TRICARE programs would also be treated as minimal essential coverage. The Senate is not the most functional of bodies, but it seems likely that they will be able to pass that bill and get it to the president before 2013.

So even if it is momentarily true (though again, the chairs of the relevant committees say it isn't) that “Military Health Benefits” are “Exclu[ded]” from the “List of OK'd Programs,” it is enormously unlikely that they will remain so.

Nonetheless, the VFW leader Thomas J. Tradewell, Sr. released a statement accusing President Obama and the Democrats of “betraying America's veterans” and engaging in Washington double talk" for seeking to pass health care reform. And Fox runs with the quotes and portrays the issue as one of contention between veterans and the Obama administration.