Ever since Donald Trump made it his mission to replace Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act and along came the American Health Care Act, Bernie Sanders has acted as a voice of reason and a leader supporting universal health care. At a town hall meeting on March 13 titled "Trump Country" — hosted by MSNBC's Chris Hayes — Sanders spoke with a group of West Virginia Trump supporters about health care and what it means to them. One person in particular took a surprising stance on health care, and it's something everyone should hear.
Meet Philip Lucion, a coal miner from McDowell County, WV, a Trump supporter, and, surprisingly, a supporter of universal health care. When sitting on a panel with Sanders, Lucion had the crowd cheering as he spoke about the absolute need for coverage. "I think we need hospitalization, every coal miner does, to take care of what happens to you underground because that's a harsh environment," Lucion said.
In a county where 75 percent of the people voted for Trump, the crowd erupted in applause because they recognized the need for this coverage. If you're wondering why Lucion and other coal miners would vote for Trump if they could potentially lose coverage, you're not alone. Lucion said he voted for Trump because of what he promised the people of West Virginia. "I voted for [him] only, solely because he said he was going to help us, he was going to put the coal miners back to work, and we're going to have health care and this and that," he said. "We need health care, everybody in this room needs free health care."
Hearing stories like Lucion's are even more important when analysis shows Trump voters could be the ones hardest hit by the American Health Care Act.