Ady Barkan — one of the greatest activists in the country for Medicare for All and healthcare reform — died last week due to complications from ALS.
Ady dedicated his life to healthcare rights after his ALS diagnosis in 2016, when he was denied coverage for critical medical needs, like a ventilator and medicine.
He sued his health insurance company in federal court and won, but the experience left him inspired to make change. “It shouldn’t take a team of lawyers, an experienced activist, and the generosity of friends and strangers to get the healthcare you need to survive,” Ady said.
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Months after his diagnosis, Ady was in a wheelchair — but that didn’t stop him from confronting GOP Senator Jeff Flake on a plane about the Trump tax cuts. Ady urged Sen. Flake to “be a hero” and vote against cutting social services, so that people like Ady would not lose access to the programs they needed to survive.
Flake voted for the cuts, but Ady was inspired to co-found Be A Hero in 2018, an initiative to fight for healthcare reform and inspire others to fight for change. Later that summer, Ady visited Alexandria in The Bronx after she won the primary that brought her to Congress, as she campaigned on Medicare for All.
They then worked together on the first-ever hearing on Medicare for All in Congress in 2019. Alexandria later wrote about Ady for the foreword of his memoir, Eyes to the Wind: “Ady’s example is for all of us to follow. There is no act too small, no person too powerless, no moment too late to make a difference. The revolution rests in each of us.”
Our hearts are with Ady’s family, his colleagues, and the millions of people he inspired with his fight to create a country where healthcare is a human right.
In solidarity,
Team AOC
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