I ran across this story about a “Rifle woman” going to Washington for a Donald Trump healthcare “listening session”. It seems strange to hold a listening session after the bill has already been committed to paper and the GOP has had more than seven years to “listen” and formulate a better healthcare plan than the Affordable Care Act.
It also seems strange to invite Carrie Couey, who gained fame last fall as the subject of an Obamacare Horror Story. She’s a longtime Republican activist and currently serves as Chair of the Garfield County GOP. She also has no expertise on the subject of healthcare, so this was strictly a photo-op.
Carrie’s husband Kelly co-starred in their television commercial, which cast them as the sympathetic victims of the Affordable Care Act. It was part of a 3rd party attack on Michael Bennett (D-Colorado) that failed spectacularly and barely registered any views.
None of this is to say that there is a small sliver of the population, around 3%, that has suffered higher premiums and costs under the ACA. I have long advocated fixing the law to help mitigate these inequities, but Republicans in congress have thus far refused to consider the many proposals for reform out there.
Which brings me back to the Couey family. They are not sympathetic people, which becomes clear when you read this Facebook post by Kelly Couey:
In the eyes of Kelly Couey, poor people are fornicating, drug-dependent illiterates and the government shouldn’t “rob” the affluent in order to insure the rabble. This is the best example of a sympathetic victim of the Affordable Care Act they could come up with. Contrast that with the 25 million people Carrie Couey’s friend Donald Trump wants to strip access to healthcare from. What about their autistic children? What about their unaffordable premiums? It’s notable that the Couey’s still own a business, and they still have healthcare coverage. My suggestion for them if they find their premiums too high? They should sell their iPhones.
