Thom Tillis staffer tells cancer survivor that people only deserve health care if they can afford it
GOP staffer compares health coverage to shopping: "If I can’t afford that dress shirt, I don’t get to get it"
CODY FENWICK
SEPTEMBER 9, 2020 12:39AM (UTC)
This article originally appeared on AlterNet.
North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis — viewed as one of the most vulnerable GOP senators in 2020 — has found himself in an uncomfortable situation after a staffer's excessively honest comments to a constituent were caught on tape.
As first reported by WRAL, Bev Veals of Carolina Beach, a three-time cancer survivor, called her senator out of fear that her health insurance was at risk. She has previously faced medical bankruptcy and difficulty accessing care, WRAL said, and her husband was furloughed because of the pandemic. She wanted assurance that she'd have coverage if she lost her health insurance.
But Tillis's office wasn't helpful. While speaking to a dismissive staffer, Veals began to record their conversation, which was provided to WRAL and can be viewed above.
"You're saying that, if you can't afford it, you don't get to have it?" she asked. "That includes health care?"
"Yeah, just like if I want to go to the store and buy a new dress shirt. If I can't afford that dress shirt, I don't get to get it," the staffer explained.
More:
https://www.salon.com/2020/09/08/thom-tillis-staffer-tells-cancer-survivor-that-people-only-deserve-health-care-if-they-can-afford-it/
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