Dying man in Congress: GoFundMe is not a health plan



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At a first hearing on Tuesday, they invited prominent health care activist, Ady Barkan, a 35-year-old father confined to a motorized ALS wheelchair, to testify on the bill. on Medicare for All recently presented by representatives Pramila Jayapal. Debbie Dingell.

Speaking through a voice synthesizer, Barkan challenged Democrats who support the implementation of progressive changes in Obamacare to support rather swift and radical action.

"Some people say that although Medicare for all is a great idea, we need to move slowly to achieve it," he said. "But I needed Medicare for all yesterday – millions of people need it today – it's time to pass this law."

"The sad truth is that health care is not treated as a human right in the US This is outrageous, and it's time for us to change it," Barkan told the committee. helps eye movement software and converts text into speech.

Barkan's testimony aimed to cut short the debate over the high price and political trade-offs associated with creating a government-run health program.
2020 Democrats gather around Obamacare in the middle of Trump's new attempt to kill the right to health care
The hearing itself was originally intended to be more mundane and of limited scope until the Massachusetts Democrat, Jim McGovern, Chair of the House Rules Committee, invited Barkan, founder of PAC Be a Hero.

"Congress should be a place where we tackle big things," McGovern said. "I know we will not pass this bill overnight, but we will not do it if we do not start the dialogue."

The Republicans have challenged the Democrats' decision to hold a hearing before the Rules Committee, while other committees, such as Ways and Means and Energy and Trade, have greater jurisdiction over the content of the draft bill. law.

The Republican Representative of the Committee, Representative Tom Oklahoma, called the Jayapal Plan a "socialist proposal threatening freedom" and criticized the provision in the bill allowing federal funding to pay for abortion, prohibited by law in force.

"What the Democrats are proposing today would completely change the American health care system, and not in my opinion, for the better," Cole said.

The most remarkable moments of the audience occurred when Barkan discussed his own encounters with the health system and his diagnosis of ALS. Barkan said his medical expenses amount to about $ 9,000 a month and are not covered by insurance. He has raised funds to cover his costs via GoFundMe.

"We should instead have a rational, just and comprehensive social safety net that catches us when we fall," he said.

Barkan has documented his trip to Washington this weekend on Twitter, detailing his move to safety with his mechanized wheelchair, and rallied Monday to colleagues at the Center for Popular Democracy in front of the headquarters of Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers. of America (PhRMA), a major pharmaceutical lobby.

"We will end their profits, rationing and monopolies because everyone deserves access to medicines – everyone deserves health care," said Darius Gordon, National Organizer of the Center. for the people's democracy, in the name of Barkan. and response speeches to the crowd. "Health care is a human right."

Barkan also met with Senator Bernie Sanders, an independent and Democratic presidential candidate who presented his own version of the Medicare for All legislation to the Senate.

Barkan's testimony will mark a clear break from the position taken by Democratic leaders such as Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi who advocated for strengthening the reinforcement of Obamacare instead of recasting the country's health system, while the Affordable Care Act is legally under attack by President Donald Trump. administration.

Barkan, who is dying from ALS, was added to the witness list after HuffPost reported for the first time that the original witness list did not include convincing supporters of Medicare for All.

"Ady Barkan has fought for many principles in which this majority has long adhered, including the notion that health care is a right and not a privilege," said McGovern in a press release announcing the change operated last week. "His extraordinary advocacy since his diagnosis has been a source of inspiration for many Americans."

The Medicare for All bill was introduced to the House earlier this year by Jayapal of Washington State and Dingell of Michigan. It would roll out the single-payer system over two years, as opposed to the four-year transition envisioned in a similar plan introduced by Sanders.

Jayapal's large-scale bill would cover long-term care, prescription drugs, vision care and dental care, primary health care, hospital visits, maternity care , medical devices as well as abortions. The Sanders bill would also eliminate the ban on federal funding.

Jayapal's legislation does not include details on how to pay for the overall proposal. An analysis of single-payer legislation by the CBO is expected Wednesday.

The House's proposal would scrap Medicare and Medicaid, while keeping the health care system of the Indian Health Service and the Department of Veterans Affairs intact.

The single-payer debate highlighted divisions within the Democratic Conference. Most of the first-year Democrats, many of whom were elected in competitive districts, did not want to join the proposal.

"How are we going to pay for this?" Democratic representative Lauren Underwood of Illinois has asked Medicare for all in an interview with CNN in February. "What's going on with private insurance? What about all types of coverage?"

Underwood pleaded for the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, a strategy that proponents say is more likely to result in a law submitted to a divided Congress.

Advocates of Medicare for All, such as Sandy Reding, board member of the California Nurses Association, argue that a phased approach is not adequate.

"Obamacare was a step in the right direction, but the only thing that can cure the ills of our health care system right now is Medicare for all," she told CNN at the time. the Monday afternoon demonstration. "No gradual changes, no other options.We must ensure that profits do not continue to be put on people because it is horrible to capitalize on the sick and injured."

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