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Progressive activist Ady Barkan, who suffers from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), gave a loud speech at the Democratic national convention on Tuesday endorsing Joe Biden as president, calling Donald Trump an “existential threat” and demanding access to quality health care for all Americans.
Healthcare is expected to be a top priority for voters ahead of the November elections, which were rocked by the coronavirus pandemic that has killed more than 170,000, infected more than 5.4 million people and left millions unemployed , leaving many without Health Insurance.
“We live in the richest country in history and yet we do not guarantee this most basic human right,” said Barkan. “Everyone living in America should have the health care they need, regardless of their professional status or ability to pay.
Barkan is a prominent advocate of Medicare for All, a policy promoted by Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders’ plan to establish a universal health insurance system in the United States.
Biden, who was officially named president of the Democrats on the second night of the convention Tuesday, campaigned to improve and expand the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, but does not support Medicare for All.
However, as the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout continue to devastate communities, Biden has moved away from healthcare slightly.
Nonetheless, Barkan, who has lost his voice to ALS and has previously testified before Congress using eye movements, urged Americans to vote for Biden. in order to avoid the “existential threat of four more years of this president”.
“Even during this terrible crisis, Donald Trump and the Republican politicians are trying to cut health insurance from millions of people,” Barkan said.
“We have to elect Joe Biden. Each of us must be a hero to our communities, to our country, and then, with a compassionate and intelligent president, we must act together and lay a bill on his desk that guarantees us all the health care we deserve.
In an interview before his speech aired Tuesday night, Barkan told the New York Times that there was “work to be done” to “convince Democratic leaders to change their perspective” on health care.
“I support Medicare for All and Joe Biden obviously doesn’t,” he said. “Many Democratic voters agree with me, as evidenced by the overwhelming support in exit polls during the primaries. And the pandemic and depression have proven just how dangerous it is to tie insurance to employment.
The Democratic convention, which has been drastically scaled back and moved almost entirely online, has repeatedly tried to promote a message of unity among liberals, progressives, moderates and also Republicans.
Barkan was diagnosed with ALS in 2016, aged 32. He was little known outside progressive circles until he cornered former Arizona Senator Jeff Flake on a flight from Phoenix to Washington and urged Flake not to vote for the Republicans’ tax plan. Barkan informed Flake of his condition and said the tax bill threatened to dramatically reduce the federal disability program he relied on for coverage.
Flake ultimately voted for the measure, but the exchange raised Barkan’s profile. His group, the Center for People’s Democracy, launched the “Be a Hero” campaign to rally Democrats before midterm. A Politico profile called Barkan “America’s most powerful activist.”
“I have high hopes for the future of this country because right now there is a mass movement of people from all over this country, which is rising,” he told The Guardian in 2019 .
“Nurses, doctors, patients, caregivers, family members – we all insist that there is a better way to structure our society, a better way to care for each other, a better way to use our. precious time together. If we do the job, we will build the better world our families deserve. “
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