As the national push for Medicare for All continues to gain steam, one prominent voice delivered powerful testimony in favor of the proposal to the House Rules Committee on Tuesday.
Ady Barkan, an activist with late-stage ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease), spoke before the Committee using text to voice software in the first ever congressional hearing on single-payer health care.
"For twenty years, since I was a freshman on my high school debate team, I have been giving speeches and presentations on topics like health care reform and the federal budget," Barkan began. "But never before have I given a speech without my natural voice. Never before have I had to rely on a synthetic voice to lay out my arguments, convey my most passionately held beliefs, tell the details of my personal story.”
Barkan's story began three years ago when he was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a disease in which neurons controlling voluntary muscle movement die. Since then, Barkan has lost his ability to walk and speak.
The challenges Barkan and his family have faced as a result of America's inept healthcare system "are far from unique," he said. "Every family is eventually confronted with serious illness or accidents... all of us need medical care. And yet in this country, the wealthiest in the history of human civilization, we do not have an effective or fair or rational system for delivering that care."
Watch Barkan's moving speech below:
Barkan explained that even though he and his family enjoy quality insurance, his illness requires out-of-pocket expenses for "24-hour home care" that runs "$9,000 every month" because much of what he requires is not covered.
And his options are limited.
"The alternative is for me to go on Medicare and move into a nursing home, away from my wife and my son,” Barkan said. “So we are cobbling together the money, from friends and family and supporters all over the country. But this is an absurd way to run a health care system. GoFundMe is a terrible substitute for smart congressional action.”
Barkan touched on how "like so many others," he and his wife Rachel "have had to fight with" their insurer, which has issued “outrageous denials instead of covering the benefits we’ve paid for. Barkan added:
"We have so little time left together, and yet our system forces us to waste it dealing with bills and bureaucracy. That is why I am here today, urging you to build a more rational, fair, efficient, and effective system. I am here today to urge you to enact Medicare for All."
Barkan listed three reasons why he believes Medicare for All is the solution to Americans' health care woes.
First, Medicare would give all Americans "the high quality care we deserve, including primary and hospital care, dental, vision, reproductive, and mental health care."
Second, Barkan stressed, Medicare for All would drastically reduce costs, especially for people in need of care.
“We will no longer need to choose between paying the rent and filling a prescription,” he said. “It means we will no longer delay necessary care until it is tragically late and tragically expensive. It means that we won’t have to worry every year when our employer announces the new rates.”
Third, Barkan explained, Medicare for All would make our health care system vastly more efficient.
“Over the past three years, I have seen firsthand how the current system creates absurdly wasteful cost-shifting, delays, billing disputes, rationing and worry," he said. "Administrative waste is costing us hundreds of billions of dollars every year.”
Many agreed with him.
Barkan concluded his testimony with a plea:
"Our time on this Earth is the most precious resource we have. A Medicare for All system would save us all tremendous time. For doctors and nurses and providers, it would mean more time giving high-quality care. For patients and our families, it will mean less time dealing with a broken health care system and more time doing the things we love together."
After his speech, Barkan thanked House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for the opportunity to share his story.
Barkan's gripping testimony spread like wildfire on social media.
People everywhere were moved.
Thank you, Ady.
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