Luis Lang, an Obamacare hater now wishes he had it
This story reported by The Charlotte Observer is unbelievable. Luis Lang is a 49 year old self-employed handyman. He works with banks and the federal government to maintains foreclosed properties. He and his wife Mary live in a 3,300 square-foot home valued at $300,000 in the Legacy Park subdivision in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
Luis Lang was doing just fine. He chose not to purchase health insurance over the years inasmuch as the purchase of health insurance is now required under the law. According to the story, “he prided himself on paying his own medical bills.” It is evident this man bought into the fallacy that he could afford any healthcare eventuality and did not need Obamacare.
Lang was suffering from headaches. He went to the hospital and it was determined he had several mini-strokes. The $9,000 bill exhausted his savings. He attempted to enroll in Obamacare but the deadline had passed. Did he not hear the exhaustive ads begging Americans to signup for their own healthcare and financial well-being?
Because Luis Lang has no income, he was unable to get a subsidy to help with the purchase of a private policy. Because his state refused the Medicaid Expansion to the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare), he will get just a little help from his state.
This snippet from the article says it all.
Lang, a Republican, says he knew the act required him to get coverage, but he chose not to do so. But he thought help would be available in an emergency. He and his wife blame President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats for passing a complex and flawed bill.
“(My husband) should be at the front of the line, because he doesn’t work and because he has medical issues,” Mary Lang said last week. “We call it the Not Fair Health Care Act.”
Anyone who’s remotely familiar with insurance knows there’s no system that lets people skip payments while they’re healthy and cash in when they get sick. Public systems tax everyone. Private ones rely on the premiums of the well to cover the costs of those who are ailing.
And Democrats might point out that the ACA was designed to provide Medicaid coverage for people whose income falls below the poverty line. The federal government pays 100 percent of the ACA expansion to cover low-income, able-bodied adults, but 21 Republican-led states, including North Carolina and South Carolina, declined to participate.
Republicans like to talk about personal responsibility for others but seldom for themselves. Inasmuch as Lang has diabetes, he is a smoker and has been inconsistent in taking care of himself. Inasmuch as he has a chronic disease that he knows can get out of control, he did not protect the financial well-being of his family and placed all of his assets at risk. Obamacare was designed to protect from these types of catastrophes.
Luis Lang is not unlike Arizona County Sheriff Richard Mack who had a similar story. The sheriff has so far collected over $44,000. Luis Lang’s fund is growing fast. I guess these ‘makers’ are really ‘takers’?
Luis Lang is now about to lose his eyesight. He is now begging for money at GoFundMe.com. Many of the comments are justifiably merciless towards him.
Comments to Luis Lang
Bob Gage: Let’s re-cap shall we? You have diabetes, yet you continue to smoke. You let two open enrollment periods for the ACA go by without signing up for insurance. You were gainfully employed, yet chose to not purchase health insurance for yourself or your family. Now that you have reaped what you have sown, you expect other people to GIVE you to thousands of dollars you need for your medical procedures, preferably while you keep your $300k house. And on top of that, you want to blame Obama for your troubles. How’s that “personal responsibility” thing working out for you?
Liz Bracey: I, too, live in a state that didn’t take the expansion. I, too, have a progressive, incurable, disease. Unlike you, I wanted the expansion so I could buy insurance. Thanks to people like you, that didn’t happen. I wish I could help but you know, I’m bogged down with my own medical bills and unlike you, I will not be begging the public to help. I hate that you’re in poor health, but this was entirely avoidable. Good luck.
Thaddeus Konar: At least publicly admit that you were wrong, mislead, and publicly blame these who brainwashed you, not Obamacare you so badly need. May be you will generate more sympathy. As it stands now you came across as stupid idiot with unreasonable expectation. Most people are forgiving a mistake, but stupidity is less forgiving.
Cindy Schlesinger: Your ignorance has landed you in the spot you are in, sir. You may be too young for Medicare, but you are certainly old enough to know how insurance works. You can’t be without insurance and then expect to be covered when you get sick. And shame on you for trying to blame the AHA–this is standard practice in the insurance industry. And now you want a HANDOUT from hard working, responsible people who follow the rules and educate themselves about their healthcare options? That’s what you get for listening to the lies of the GOP. I do not feel sorry for you in the least. Good luck to you
Eric Clark: I’ve donated to several idiot Republicans here on GoFundMe who were too pig headed to go out and buy health care then subsequently faced life changing health issues because I felt it was the right thing to do. But not any more. I have had it. SCREW YOU, REAP WHAT YOU SOW. Doesn’t seem to me going blind should be a real problem for you. You were pretty blind about the issues people faced that prompted the need for affordable health care in the first place. Think of it as God’s judgement to you for living your life with blinders on.
Grace Woodard: Conservatives… only conservative when it comes to helping others. THEN, when the proverbial shit hits the fan, they want what they have always called a “hand-out.” I surely don’t wish you blinder than you already were, but it would seem that you have been your own worst enemy, so let the retinas fall where they may. You were offered a bed, but decided to make your own… so sleep in it. You can always double mortgage your home or go the medical bankruptcy route like so many others (including me) had to do BEFORE ACA. I wouldn’t be surprised if your vision problems are a direct result from head-in-sand syndrome.
We must share this story to every Right Wing Conservative Obamacare hating family and friend. You may inadvertently save lives.
(h/t RawStory)
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