Republican Empathy

[PaulS]

Or lack of empathy:

Bev Veals, a three-time cancer survivor, called her North Carolina senator's office recently to express her worries about not being able to afford her health insurance after her husband was furloughed.

"I wanted answers because the thought of having no healthcare and possibly getting sick with COVID is extremely frightening," Veals told local news outlet WRAL-TV. She said she's used her savings to pay for insurance recently.

Veals recorded a conversation she had with a staffer in Tillis' Washington, DC office.

During the exchange, Veals asked the staffer, "You're saying that, if you can't afford it, you don't get to have it, and that includes healthcare?"

"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," he responded.

"But healthcare is something that people need, especially if they have cancer," she said.

"Well, you got to find a way to get it," he replied.

Daniel Keylin, a spokesman for Tillis, apologized on behalf of the staffer in a statement to WRAL and said he had been disciplined.

Tillis, who's facing a strong challenge in his bid for reelection this year, has voted several times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, without replacement legislation. Tillis has also helped prevent his state from expanding Medicaid under the ACA. Healthcare has become a key issue in the Senate race.

The Trump administration in June asked the Supreme Court to overturn Obamacare, a move that would strip health insurance from 23 million Americans.