2020 Democrats sit for interviews with health care activist

A slate of Democrats running for president in 2020 are sitting down for interviews with activist Ady Barkan to discuss health care policies as the party’s presidential primary heats up.

Barkan, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2016 and has garnered social media fame with his activism fighting for more affordable health insurance, said the current primary is not engendering substantial discussions or plans on the topic.{mosads}

“For the last three years, I’ve been fighting our representatives in Washington to replace our unjust, predatory and discriminatory health care system with coverage that protects the American people,” he said in a video. “But the composed speeches, the empty one-liners and stilted debates haven’t given us better health care.” 

The debates aren’t giving us the healthcare conversation we need.

So we asked the presidential candidates to talk to me about their plans and their personal stories.

Coming soon….pic.twitter.com/Gvv1nXWBfr

— Ady Barkan (@AdyBarkan) August 27, 2019

Be A Hero, Barkan’s advocacy group, added in a statement that the new series is intended to “foster personal, unguarded moments between a dying father and those vying for the most powerful office in the country.”

The series, titled “Uncovered: Health Care Conversations with Ady Barkan,” is a collaboration among Be A Hero, NowThis News and Crooked Media.

The candidates confirmed for interviews thus far are South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julian Castro and Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.).

Health care has emerged as a chief flashpoint in the Democratic primary, with the crowded field debating the merits of a “Medicare for All” system versus a longer transition to universal coverage via an expansion of the Affordable Care Act.