Trump voter regrets trusting him over health care

For Celia Monreal, one Senate vote can mean the difference between keeping health coverage or going uninsured.

Monreal, who lives in Tyler, Texas, said she doesn’t pay a premium right now for her ACA Marketplace plan, and tax credits would keep her monthly premium below $200 next year. But if Congressional Republicans continue to block an extension of those tax credits, which are set to expire at the end of the year, she could be paying $1,500 per month.

“Considering the bills and everything else, we wouldn’t be able to afford a $1,500 a month increase for health insurance,” Monreal told me.

Her heat bill can sometimes reach $1,000, and the rising cost of living has made it harder to care for her five children, four of whom are still under age 16 and live with her. If ACA subsidies expire, she’d have to choose those necessities over health insurance. She might also need to travel to Mexico and pay out of pocket for an operation her husband may need—a cheaper option, she says, than paying monthly for US health insurance without the subsidies.

And she blames the president she once supported for putting her in this position. Monreal said she’d always voted Democrat until casting a ballot for Donald Trump last November. Now, she feels “disappointed and kind of ashamed” for many reasons—Trump’s opposition to extending ACA subsidies, his immigration crackdown, economic hardships, and more.

Her disappointment extends beyond Trump and to other congressional Republicans. Although Senate Majority Leader John Thune has promised a vote on extending these subsidies by mid-December, there’s no guarantee the extension will pass. Plus, House Republicans haven’t promised a vote on the issue.

To Monreal, it’s more than just horserace politics. “It’s not fair that they think they can move these pieces around in people’s lives like it’s nothing, like we’re nothing.”

Journalist Chris Vazquez will be featuring more voters impacted by spiraling health costs over the coming week. Stay tuned.

Mother Jones digital fellow Henry Carnell contributed reporting.