Liberal give money to save eyesight of an anti-obamacare conservative

[Johan]

Conservative spurns Obamacare and insurance — but blames Obama now that he’s going broke and blind


South Carolina conservative who refused to sign up for Obamacare is going broke and blind – and he blames Obama.


Luis Lang learned in late February that he had suffered a series of mini-strokes that left him with bleeding in his eyes and a partially detached retina caused by diabetes, reported the Charlotte Observer.

The 49-year-old Lang, a self-employed handyman and Republican who works with banks and the federal government to maintain foreclosed properties, has never purchased insurance and always prided himself on paying his own medical bills.

That never posed much of a problem when Lang and his wife – who does not work – were healthy, but he has already exhausted his savings paying for medical bills related to his eyes.

His vision has worsened so much that he hasn’t worked since December, which could put the couple’s $300,000 Fort Hill home in jeopardy along with his health.

“He will lose his eyesight if he doesn’t get care — he will go blind,” said Dr. Malcolm Edwards, an ophthalmologist who has given Lang injections at a discounted rate to control the bleeding.

Lang, a smoker who admits he has been inconsistent in controlling his diabetes, said he has sought help from charities but found he was either too young or too old for most agencies.

So he turned to the Affordable Health Care exchange – which he had previously chosen not to do in violation of the law, believing help would be available in an emergency.

“(My husband) should be at the front of the line because he doesn’t work and because he has medical issues,” said his wife, Mary Lang. “We call it the Not Fair Health Care Act.”

Lang found he was a month too late to enroll for 2015, and he now earns too little to get a federal subsidy to buy a private policy.

Lang and his wife blame President Barack Obama and congressional Democrats for passing a flawed law – although not even private insurers allow people to forgo payments when they’re healthy and cash in benefits after they’re sick.

Obamacare was designed to cover those whose income falls below the poverty line through Medicaid, but South Carolina is among 21 Republican-led states that declined the federal government’s offer to pay 100 percent of the costs to expand coverage to low-income, able-bodied adults.

Lang has reached out to reporters to help publicize his case, and he has set up an online fundraiser – but he doesn’t have enough money to pay for surgery to save his eyesight.

The doctor said he has offered to provide care at no cost, but he said Lang needs costly treatment beyond his expertise.

“He’s in a very bad situation,” Edwards said, with Lang’s consent. “The longer he waits, the poorer his results will be.”

Donations pour in from liberals to help Obamacare-hating conservative who’s losing his eyesight


Donations have poured in – mostly from self-professed progressives — to help an Obamacare critic receive treatment that could save his eyesight.


Luis Lang has never bought health insurance and refused to sign up for the Affordable Care Act because he believed help would be available in an emergency – but he found out the hard way that the law is a bit more complicated.

The 49-year-old Lang, a self-employed handyman and Republican, suffered a series of mini-strokes that left him with bleeding in his eyes and a partially detached retina caused by diabetes, and he will likely go blind without surgery – which he cannot afford.

He missed this year’s deadline to sign up for Obamacare, and he said he’s either too old or too young to get help from most charities – so he set up an online fundraiser to help pay for his medical care.

Lang has raised more than $7,000 in one day after his story went viral Tuesday, and many contributors urged him to reconsider his politics.

“I am a progressive and a liberal,” said Mark Little, who gave $5. “I get my health insurance from a private provider through healthcare.gov. I used the ACA because I have my own business. Turn off Fox News. Turn off Rush Limbaugh. Stopping voting against your own best interests. Stop voting republican. Here’s $5 to help you out. Good luck!”

Lang said he always prided himself on paying for his own medical treatment, but he has already blown through his savings without insurance and faces surgery that could cost up to $30,000.

“You tried to float by without paying for insurance for years, despite having diabetes, which you knew could blow up on you,” said Joseph Johnson, who contributed $10. “Then, your party dicked you over by not expanding Medicaid. And you still blame Obama? You are laughably ignorant. Get educated. (And get well. I wouldn’t wish blindness on anybody. Thank the liberals, also, who are saving your eyesight.)”

Not every contributor scolded Lang, who admits he smokes and has not always properly managed his diabetes.

“I’m a strong supporter of the ACA, which was intended to address situations precisely like yours,” said Jim Portnoy, who gave $20. “But I won’t lecture you about bad choices. We all make some. I’ll just wish you well and hope that we learn a lesson from this. Good luck.”

Most of the donations were small, although Lang is approaching the halfway point toward the minimum $18,000 his surgery might cost.

“I am a leftist on a very limited income who is fighting for universal health care who doesn’t want anybody to in this country to go without medical care, a basic human right,” said Harvey Smith, who gave $5. “I hope you will be able to get the help you need, you will be in my thoughts.”

The most popular comment on the fundraising site was a bit more sarcastic, however.

“I want to donate enough to really help you out, but I can’t figure out how to get GoFundMe to accept bootstraps,” said Ed Gruberman.

http://www.rawstory.com/2015/05/don...hating-conservative-whos-losing-his-eyesight/


As long as he did not needed ObamaCare, he was against it but now that he desperately needs it, he want it and he wants to be at the front line. And because he denied for not enrolling when he should have, he calls ObamaCare the "Unfair Health Act". Classic republican : as long as I don't need the government, I refuse to pay for them but If i need them, I want them to treat me even better than those who've been paying fro a while...

Anyway, I'm glad that so many liberals choosed to help him and I wonder if he would have do the same for them if the tings were reversed. I wonder how many republicans would have helped a liberal who got in trouble because he had made a wrong choice

But what shocks me is that this guy doesn't understand that he made the wrong choice. He still thinks the law is bad and he will still vote for Republicans promising to reapel the ACA, even thought he wouldn't have had to relmy on people generosity if he had enrolled to ACA in the begining (or at least, in time for 2015 : by the end of March).

 

[MMMariah]

Republicans are by far, the most uninformed voters. They vote against their interests time after time. Look at our own in-house tea party loon BC. As far as we know he is a successful attorney but I would find it hard to believe he's in the top 5% of the wealthiest people in the US, therefore the republicans he supports aren't truly representing him or his best interests. Unless he's making millions a year he is voting against his interests. He is not alone on the right. They don't want to pay any taxes at all yet want police and fire departments and the post office and bridges and highways that dont destroy the rims and tires on their expensive cars. They want bail outs when their businesses fail and they expect to get preferential treatment should they ever get into trouble. All things that the party they support wants to abolish.

 

[Straight Shooter]

So much for personal responsibility huh?

Here's the link to his GoFundMe page. I think I might throw a $20 his way

http://www.gofundme.com/s78e9w

 

[Jack Davenport]

Republicans are by far, the most uninformed voters. They vote against their interests time after time. Look at our own in-house tea party loon BC. As far as we know he is a successful attorney but I would find it hard to believe he's in the top 5% of the wealthiest people in the US, therefore the republicans he supports aren't truly representing him or his best interests. Unless he's making millions a year he is voting against his interests. He is not alone on the right. They don't want to pay any taxes at all yet want police and fire departments and the post office and bridges and highways that dont destroy the rims and tires on their expensive cars. They want bail outs when their businesses fail and they expect to get preferential treatment should they ever get into trouble. All things that the party they support wants to abolish.

Oh I'm a loon... :1orglaugh

 

[MMMariah]

Yeah, you are. You support a government that doesn't support you. You aren't a billionaire so what will they do for YOU? You know Einsteins' definition of insanity...your party's agenda has NOT worked, yet you support people who want to take it even further to the right which for one, has NEVER worked and for two, doesn't represent the American people. So yes Zippy, you are a big ol' loon.

 

[Straight Shooter]

He's not a Republican anymore.

http://www.healthinsurance.org/blog/2015/05/16/a-conversation-with-crowdfunder-luis-lang/

 

[knowone]

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/05/19/3660701/luis-lang-obamacare/

 

[georges]

Republicans are by far, the most uninformed voters. They vote against their interests time after time. Look at our own in-house tea party loon BC. As far as we know he is a successful attorney but I would find it hard to believe he's in the top 5% of the wealthiest people in the US, therefore the republicans he supports aren't truly representing him or his best interests. Unless he's making millions a year he is voting against his interests. He is not alone on the right. They don't want to pay any taxes at all yet want police and fire departments and the post office and bridges and highways that dont destroy the rims and tires on their expensive cars. They want bail outs when their businesses fail and they expect to get preferential treatment should they ever get into trouble. All things that the party they support wants to abolish.

You want your country to be lead by stateless and socialisst swines like Hilary that says a lot how much you like America nor its values. You hate the rich and those who succeed. I bet living in Cuba shouldn't be a problem for you.

 

[Rey C.]

http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/05/19/3660701/luis-lang-obamacare/

While it's unfortunate that he's now so sick, his current change of heart reminds me of a convict on death row who suddenly finds religion. His excuse for not getting insurance before he got sick is bullshit. There's no requirement (that I'm aware of) that one has to accept the ACA subsidy. It's oddly funny (and rather convenient) that other self-employed people were able to sign up for health insurance, yet his business was so incredibly unique that he couldn't? He managed to file his quarterly tax returns, didn't he? And he managed to make the mortgage payments on that $300K house... while his wife sat at home and didn't work wtf, right? So what income figures did he use to get the mortgage?

Too much about this character just doesn't add up. If you have diabetes and you continue to smoke and drink(?) and don't manage the disease, and then you go from bad to worse by not having insurance while having that disease (or any chronic disease), and then your unemployed wife whines that the system isn't fair and you now want handouts while you lounge in your $300K house (which is probably pretty nice, depending on where he is in South Carolina)... I'd sooner give a bum on the street $10 before I'd give this guy $1. I just think it would be irresponsible for me to help him, given the circumstances. He might take the money and buy cigarettes and candy. His wife might take my money and go shoe shopping. While he's laid up, there's absolutely no reason why she shouldn't or couldn't continue running the business. If they were in divorce court, she'd damn sure be whining to the judge to give her half the business' value. So, I suggest that Mrs. Sweet Cheeks get her ass off the couch and get Jose and Juan to hanging some drywall and tacking down some carpet.

All I can offer him is a prayer that it all works out. But as for $ for him, I gave at the office.

 

[Deepcover]

You want your country to be lead by stateless and socialisst swines like Hilary that says a lot how much you like America nor its values. You hate the rich and those who succeed. I bet living in Cuba shouldn't be a problem for you.

Wealthy ppl are the real thugs...like those two brothers down in the States...In a way seems like those two guys is ruling America @tm...

 

[Jack Davenport]

While it's unfortunate that he's now so sick, his current change of heart reminds me of a convict on death row who suddenly finds religion.

Yep. But this thread was started to demonstrate how caring liberals are even when it comes to scumbag hypocritical conservative whiskey tango.

 

[Rey C.]

Yep. But this thread was started to demonstrate how caring liberals are even when it comes to scumbag hypocritical conservative whiskey tango.

Oh, well then... :dunno:

My ex-girlfriend described me like this: "Too smart to be a Republican. Too cold hearted to be a Democrat." Some days I miss her. Some days not.

 

[Jack Davenport]

I can say with certainty that I have moved more to your direction in the past couple of years Rey. Not quite there yet . Old habits are hard to break.

 

[Rey C.]

If more of us would reject party labels, we could begin rebuilding the Republic.

Boss was a great show - and part of the reason it was cancelled was because Kelsey Grammer's politics did not match that of the Hollyweird elite. Whenever I hear this song, I think of the two corrupt party machines that are poisoning this nation. We should follow the words of George Washington during his farewell address and deny Satan his spoils.

 

[Straight Shooter]

Yep. But this thread was started to demonstrate how caring liberals are even when it comes to scumbag hypocritical conservative whiskey tango.

So far his GoFundMe page is up to $26,000. Even though he's an irresponsible and hypocritical individual, I don't wish ill will on him and I hope he get's the medical treatment he needs. I just hope that he was able to learn from this whole ordeal. From reading the latest news on him it seems like he has. This is the kick in the ass he needed to turn off the TV and/or radio that's pumping misinformation into his brain and go out and inform yourself on the issues instead of letting some talking head tell you what to think. This is the classic case of voting against your own interests. He literally got fucked by his own party when SC decided to opt out of the ACA's Medicaid expansion.

 

[Jack Davenport]

"Voting against your own interests" is just the latest liberal mantra It is posted so much on blogs that if I were a leftist I would be embarrassed to repeat it . Milano sounds like broken record she says it so much

I vote conservative. Which I proudly admit to voting against left wing interests .

 

[Rey C.]

So far his GoFundMe page is up to $26,000. Even though he's an irresponsible and hypocritical individual, I don't wish ill will on him and I hope he get's the medical treatment he needs. I just hope that he was able to learn from this whole ordeal. From reading the latest news on him it seems like he has. This is the kick in the ass he needed to turn off the TV and/or radio that's pumping misinformation into his brain and go out and inform yourself on the issues instead of letting some talking head tell you what to think. This is the classic case of voting against your own interests. He literally got fucked by his own party when SC decided to opt out of the ACA's Medicaid expansion.

I don't wish ill on him either. But a guy who continued smoking (and drinking?), not eating right and not taking his medicine after he found that he had diabetes, didn't bother to get health insurance which was available to him, has a wife who doesn't/won't work or help run the business, lives in a $300K house, etc.... the GOP and Obamacare didn't fuck Luis. Luis fucked Luis. So Rey C. has nothing but sympathy for him - not a dime of money though. Like I said, he and his wife seem like morons. He might misuse the money.

Most of the donations I make every year are for scholarships. You know, for kids who are making an effort to improve themselves. And I usually give money to relief agencies, when there are natural disasters affecting impoverished people. I would never give money to someone living in a $300K house with a deadbeat wife who won't work.