Sen. Thom Tillis apologized to a three-time cancer survivor after a staffer dismissed her concerns about healthcare affordability.
Bev Veals, who said she struggled to get healthcare and faced medical bankruptcy during her 20-year battle with cancer, reached out to her senator after her husband was furloughed in March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The couple decided to ask for help after they were at risk of possibly losing their health insurance, according to WRAL.
When WRAL sent a recording Veal had made of her conversations with Tillis’s office to the North Carolina Republican, his spokesman responded in a statement with an apology.
“The way Mrs. Veals was talked to by a staff assistant in our Washington office was completely inappropriate and violates the code of conduct Senator Tillis has for his staff, which is why immediate disciplinary action has been taken,” spokesman Daniel Keylin said.
Veals began recording her conversation after being frustrated by the tone and response of the staffer, according to WRAL. The staffer has not been named in reports.
“You’re saying that, if you can’t afford it, you don’t get to have it, and that includes healthcare?” she asked the aide.
“Yeah, just like if I want to go to the store and buy a new dress shirt. If I can’t afford that dress shirt, I don’t get to get it,” he replied.
“But healthcare is something that people need, especially if they have cancer,” Veals said.
“Well, you got to find a way to get it,” he responded.
When Veals asked what she was supposed to do, he said, “Sounds like something you’re going to have to figure out.”
It’s unclear when the recording occurred, but WRAL first reported the story on Tuesday.
Veals said her family is tapping into retirement savings in order to hold on to her health insurance. She said she’s still waiting for her husband to be called back to his job.
Veals told WRAL she wanted more than an apology and that the staffer comparing healthcare to a dress shirt made her “incredibly angry and hurt.”
“We need our legislators to listen to us and help us solve this problem because it’s not just my problem — not being able to afford healthcare,” she said. “It’s the problem of hundreds and thousands of North Carolinians.”
Tillis is facing a competitive race for reelection against Democrat Cal Cunningham, a former state senator. The race is viewed as a toss-up by the nonpartisan Cook Political Report. It is one of the races considered particularly vulnerable for Republicans, as election forecasters predict a possible GOP majority loss in November.
President Trump’s polling numbers trailing behind Democratic challenger Joe Biden are also a worrying factor for Republican chances of holding on to the Senate.
Republicans hold 53 seats, and Democrats hold 45 seats. Two independents caucus with Democrats.
