Last week Luis Lang was in a pickle. His diabetes was threatening his eyesight, he missed the enrollment period for the Affordable Care Act and his state lawmakers blocked the Medicaid expansion in South Carolina.
After liberals dug into their pockets to help him with his medical bills to save his eyesight (and left many comments encouraging him to see the light), Lang admits that hindsight is 20/20. He had some choice words for Republicans in a recent interview with ThinkProgress.
In an interview with ThinkProgress, Lang joked that he might be the most hated Republican in the country right now. But he also said that, thanks in part to a flood of media attention that led him to learn more about health care policy, he doesn’t identify with the GOP anymore.
“Now that I’m looking at what each party represents, my wife and I are both saying — hey, we’re not Republicans!” Lang said. He added that, though he’s not a political person by nature and has never voted solely along party lines, he wants to rip up his voter registration card on national television so Americans will have proof that he’s making the switch.
Good for him for being reflective enough to consider the possibility that he was a victim of the party of propaganda and lies. Most of the donations he received were made by supporters of the ACA and liberals, who did their best to convince him he'd been misled. They succeeded.
But Lang’s main complaint is the fact that the Supreme Court ruled that Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion should be optional, which has given Republican lawmakers the opportunity to refuse to implement the policy on the state level. That’s led to a coverage gap preventing millions of Americans from accessing affordable insurance whatsoever. Because Lang’s income has recently dried up, now that his deteriorating vision prevents him from working, he now falls into that gap.
“I put the blame on everyone — Republican and Democrat. But I do mainly blame Republicans for their pigheadedness,” Lang said. “They’re blocking policies that could help everyone. I’m in the situation I’m in because they chose not to expand Medicaid for political reasons. And I know I’m not the only one.”
No, Mr. Lang, you are not the only one, but your situation can be a turning point for others who have been lied to as you were.
Like most people who take the time to actually think through something, Mr. Lang is actually a supporter of universal healthcare -- Medicare for All.
He said he’s always tried to take responsibility for his own bills, but he also believes that the United States should move toward a universal health care system that makes coverage available to everyone regardless of their income level. He said he “one hundred percent agrees” with the people who commented on his crowdfunding page to argue that health care is a human right.
“In fact, I have some eyesight jokes for you,” he added. “This whole thing has helped me see more clearly. Like they say, hindsight is 20/20.”
And, it turns out, enough money has been raised for Lang's treatment to go forward, thanks to progressives and others who cared enough not only to give, but to help him see the light.
