A 58-year-old Navy veteran told Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., about his medical debt during a town hall Sept. 13 in in Carson City, Nev., according to The Washington Post.
John Weigel, who has advanced-stage Huntington's disease, a genetic disorder, specifically expressed to Mr. Sanders his frustrations related to his $139,000 hospital bill.
In a Post video of the remarks, Mr. Sanders asked Mr. Weigel what the $139,000 bill was about.
"Somehow, after the fact, they claim that my [veterans health coverage], Tricare, I chose to end it, which I didn't. It was coming out of my check as part of my allotment that was set up … when I … retired from the military. So now they're saying that I didn't re-sign or do something," the veteran told Mr. Sanders.
Mr. Sanders then asked the veteran, "So how are you going to pay off?"
"I can't, I can't," Mr. Weigel responded. "I'm going to kill myself."
The Democratic presidential candidate then responded, "Hold it, John! Stop it. You're not going to kill yourself."
Mr. Sanders later tweeted about the exchange, which was shared on social media, according to the Post.
"This painful to hear. But there are millions of people like John facing an unimaginable burden due to the cost of medical care. This is why we fight for Medicare for All," he tweeted Sept. 14.
Read the Post's full report here.
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