Stories are starting to come in about how Donald Trump voters are horrified to realize that when you vote for a guy who promised to repeal the Affordable Care Act without a replacement plan in mind, you could lose your health insurance. Who could have guessed?
Across red America, the same refrain: Wait, am I hurt?
Republicans in Congress appear poised to allow critical ACA subsidies expires at the end of the yearand the consequences hit hardest among their own constituents—the working-class families and retirees who depended on that support to keep coverage affordable.
Related | Republicans must love Obamacare. Their constituents rely on it.
Meet some of the Trump voters who voted to give up their healthcare.
There is a hairdresser in Pennsylvania, Chrissy Meehan, who has a neck condition that requires surgery.
The 51-year-old voted for Republican Donald Trump for president last year, and she says she is almost embarrassed by it now that the Republican-led government has not renewed subsidies that help her afford coverage through the public market. reported Associated Press.
“I work hard, try to survive, do it right and pay for it,” Meehan said. “I don’t want free, I just want affordable for my income.”
Here she thinks she needs special treatment because of her low income and votes Republican despite this. Bad move, Chrissy.
Let's go to Florida, where the family of insurance agent Alan Reynolds is about to be beaten.
“The loss of his wife's subsidy means she will likely pay about $1,200 or more each month, compared to about $500 in 2024,” reported Washington Post.
“I voted for Trump,” Reynolds said. “I didn't expect this.”
Why, oh why didn't he expect this? Trump literally promised get rid of the Affordable Care Act – without even offering an alternative beyond the “plan concept.”
The irony, of course, is that this mess disproportionately striking Republican voters in Republican states.
At least two polls show that MAGA overwhelmingly supports maintaining ACA subsidies, which proves how wrong they are. If they want the government to help them, they must be democrats.
In Idaho, retired schoolteacher Bob McMichael will lose health care for himself and his partner.
“Several years after retiring but before they were eligible for Medicare, McMichael, 63, and his wife, 62, got the cheapest plan they could find on the market. It had monthly premiums of about $1,800, but Obamacare subsidies kept their monthly payments at about $50 a month.” reported Idaho Statesman.
If that happens, McMichael and his wife plan to end their coverage. He hopes they can find a cheaper plan, but he's not optimistic. The plan they chose last year was the most affordable option “other than no health care.”
McMichael taught in the tiny Idaho State Council, the seat of Adams County, which voted for Trump. from 76% to 21%. None of the stories about him (and there are several) indicate who he voted for, and as a teacher, there is a non-zero chance that he was one of the 21% who supported Democratic candidate Kamala Harris.
But regardless of his own vote, the fact remains that thanks to Idaho's neighbors, suffered particularly badly due to potential loss of subsidies.
McMichael may be one of the good ones—and now he's collateral damage to his neighbors' self-destructive attempts to deny themselves quality health care.
Related | The GOP is still in the “ideas” stage to magically improve health care
These are the people who will now have to weigh whether to buy groceries, see a doctor, or even consider the idea of insurance coverage.
And people will die.
This opening for democrats restore public confidence in an economic populist agenda that focuses on issues of affordability and cost of living. It will not reach everyone – the cult of MAGA is stable and deep. But take away 5-10% of the Republican vote, activate some of the non-voters, and it's a completely different story.
