It’s difficult to sympathize with Trump voters who prioritized Republican party allegiance over their own well-being. It’s even more difficult to sympathize with someone who overlooked Trump’s racist and sexist ideology but is now concerned about losing his health care.


On Monday night CNN’s Don Lemon invited regular commenter Don Riscoe back on his show to discuss the GOP’s now-stalled health care bill. Riscoe, seemingly distressed, told Lemon that he would not be able to afford his premium under the Republican plan.

“We probably won’t be insured,” Riscoe struggled to tell Lemon. Recognizing his apparent struggle, Lemon asked if Riscoe was “OK.”


Riscoe responded, “We won’t be insured if Obamacare goes away. We won’t be able to afford premiums.” The two go back-and-forth, but eventually, Riscoe explains just how much the GOP health care bill would affect his family.

“I know we can’t afford $1,000 a month. I don’t know the exact number but, we wouldn’t be able to afford coverage without the infrastructure,” Riscoe told Lemon.

The saddest part about Riscoe’s story—and it’s troubling, we should sympathize with Americans who can’t afford basic health needs, no matter how difficult—is that he’s one of many Trump supporters who will lose coverage if Republican lawmakers bill passes.

Indeed, it’s well-reported that some of Trump’s most ardent supporters will suffer if the ACA is repealed without an adequate replacement. The New York Times reports:

The Republican plan offers less assistance to older and lower-income Americans, especially in rural areas, according to the Kaiser data. These groups generally backed Mr. Trump. Most of all, President Trump’s white working-class supporters often make enough money to be ineligible for Medicaid, but not enough to afford costly health insurance that might even become more expensive under the Republican plan.


Riscoe, and presumably many voters like him, may have overlooked Trump’s ideology in favor of a party that really doesn’t care much about them. But if a child hurts themselves out of sheer ignorance, a parent doesn’t ridicule the child for their ignorance. They put a band-aid on it and encourage the child to learn to a learn a lesson.

And band-aids might be the only form of medical care we have access to if the Republicans continue their assault on health care.