Missiles or Medicine? The $200 Billion Choice That Will Change American Healthcare
The administration funds missiles while medicine is gutted
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by Dr. Eric Lullove, Blue Amp Media, Contributing Medical Editor
In my 20-plus years as a surgical podiatrist and wound care specialist, I’ve learned one immutable truth: you cannot heal a systemic infection by ignoring the primary site of the wound. Yet, that is exactly what this administration is attempting to do.
The recent announcement that the Department of Defense (DOD) is requesting a supplemental $200 billion for the war effort is a clinical failure of priorities. While the Pentagon asks for a massive infusion of capital to “replenish stockpiles” and fuel conflict in Iran, our domestic healthcare infrastructure is being subjected to a radical, unguided amputation.
The Anatomy of a Budgetary Crisis
As a physician, I look at data. When we look at the Fiscal Year 2026 budget, the “pathology report” for American healthcare is grim. The administration isn’t just trimming “waste”—they are cutting into healthy tissue.
The NIH Is Flatlining: The proposed $18 billion cut to the NIH is a direct assault on the future of medicine. We are talking about halting research into regenerative medicine and chronic disease—the very advancements that keep you and me walking and out of the OR.
The CDC Is Being Gutted: A $3.6 billion reduction means we are surrendering our surveillance systems. In an era of global health threats, we are choosing to spend on missiles while leaving our front doors unlocked against the next pandemic.
CMS and the ACA: The “machete” approach to CMS and the ACA is already resulting in coverage gaps. For my patients in Florida, these “structural cuts” aren’t just numbers on a spreadsheet; they are the reason a foot ulcer or hypertension or diabetes goes untreated until it’s too late.
$200 Billion: The Opportunity Cost of “Lethality”
Let’s put that $200 billion in perspective. In the wound care world, we fight for every cent of reimbursement to ensure patients get advanced biologics and life-saving therapies.
The $200 billion DOD request represents a 1,100% surplus over what is needed to simply keep our domestic health agencies at their current levels. By choosing to “armor up” abroad while “cutting out” the heart of our medical research and preventive care at home, we are effectively buying a gold-plated suit of armor for a body that is suffering from untreated sepsis.
The $200 billion requested for the DOD is:
More than double the entire annual budget for HHS.
Enough to fully fund the NIH for the next four years.
Sufficient to clear the entire backlog of veteran healthcare claims ten times over.
Secretary Hegseth says we need to be “tippy-top” in military lethality. But as a doctor, I have to ask: What is the point of being the most “lethal” nation on earth if our own citizens are dying from preventable chronic diseases because we’ve defunded the agencies meant to protect them?
How This Affects the VA
The impact of a $200 billion Department of Defense supplemental request on the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a classic case of what we call “secondary intention” in surgery—when a wound is left to heal on its own because the resources are being diverted elsewhere.
While the VA budget for 2026 is actually slated for a 10% increase (reaching roughly $441 billion), that $200 billion DOD request is a “phantom limb” that highlights exactly where our national priorities are skewed. As a physician who treats veterans, I see the gap between “fully funded” on paper and the reality of clinical care.
The VA “Wound”: Infrastructure and Backlogs
If we redirected even a fraction of that $200 billion “war chest” to the VA, we could address the chronic systemic issues that a 10% annual increase barely touches:
The Infrastructure Crisis: The VA currently has a $170 billion backlog in capital needs. Most VA hospitals were built decades ago and are struggling with outdated HVAC, plumbing, and electrical systems. For the price of this one DOD request, we could literally rebuild every crumbling VA medical center in the country.
The Claims Backlog: Despite the PACT Act, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) is still fighting a massive surge in claims. Veterans’ organizations (DAV and VFW) have noted that the VA lacks the internal capacity to meet rising demand. A $200 billion investment could modernize the entire AI-enabled claims system and eliminate wait times for life-altering benefits.
Medical Research: The VA’s Medical and Prosthetic Research budget is only about $943 million. We are spending 200 times that amount on a single war supplemental. As a podiatrist, I know that research into limb salvage and prosthetic innovation is what keeps our wounded warriors mobile—but it’s being treated as a rounding error compared to munitions.
Why This Matters for Every American
When the NIH loses nearly 40% of its budget, we lose the next decade of breakthroughs in cancer, Alzheimer’s, and diabetes. When the CDC is forced to stop focusing on chronic diseases—the leading killers in this country—the burden of late-stage complications falls squarely on our local hospitals and your family’s wallet.
We are being told we must choose “Lethality” over “Longevity.” I reject that premise. A nation that cannot fund its own health is not a nation that is truly secure, no matter how many missiles are in the silo.
In the OR, if I see a surgeon making a cut that will lead to a permanent disability, it is my job to speak up. This $200 billion request is that wrong cut. It’s time we demand a budget that prioritizes the longevity of our citizens over the lethality of our weapons.
Dr. Lullove is the Chief Executive and Medical Officer of the West Boca Center for Wound Healing in Coconut Creek, FL. He is a national health care policy expert and expert in wound healing. He is the Contributing Medical Editor for Blue Amp Media.
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It is all SO wrong. The whole government needs to be revamped-with Liberty and Justice for all. Thanks for this great post.
Exactly.
C. Poplin MD JD