A new study published in the American Journal of Public Health reveals a sharp increase in the number of American war veterans without health insurance. According to researchers at Harvard University, 1.8 million veterans are uninsured. Nearly 6 million uninsured Americans are veterans or their families.

The number of uninsured vets has gone up sharply since President Bush took office. 290,000 more veterans lack health insurance than in the year 2000. The reason: A Bush Administration decision to cut health care benefits for most veterans with annual incomes of $30,000 to $35,000.

As a result, many veterans now find themselves in the same situation other Americans do: too rich to go on welfare but too poor to buy health insurance.