Adi Barkan, a Santa Barbara resident and nationally known health care advocate, died at Cottage Hospital earlier this week after suffering the irresistible ravages of Lou Gehrig’s disease, a terminal neurological disorder also known as ALS. died at the age of
Mr. Barkan, a Yale-educated lawyer and political activist, described the struggles he and his family went through to get the insurance he so desperately needed – to make a case for single-payer insurance. emphasized. In doing so, Mr. Barkan, who moved to Santa Barbara when his wife, Rachel King, took a job as an English professor at UCSB, pushed himself far beyond the breaking point of his vocal chords. Barkan delivered an impassioned speech at the 2020 Democratic National Convention using a computerized voice simulator.
Although Barkan and Joe Biden have disagreed over the nation’s health care policy, he was unequivocal in his support for Biden, and even more so in his attacks on Donald Trump. By then, Barkan had achieved viral status as an activist, having confronted Republican Sen. Jeff Flake of Arizona on a plane. Mr. Barkan urged Mr. Flake to break with his party over the massive tax cuts currently moving through Congress. Mr. Barkan argued that the tax cuts could only be paid for by cutting the federal health care system relied on in the fight against ALS.
“You can be a hero,” Barkan urged Flake. “You can save my life. Please.”
The exchange was captured on video, and the video catapulted Vulcan to activist superhero status. He used his newfound fame to form an organization called “Be a Hero” to lobby, pressure, appease, and exhort those seeking elective office.
Sen. Flake, who is retiring from politics after breaking with Donald Trump and his own party’s MAGA wave, ultimately followed Mr. Barkan’s advice and did not vote.
Mr. Barkan used his high profile to further challenge high-ranking Democratic candidates for receiving large political contributions from big pharmaceutical companies. Barkan, who has a law degree from Yale University and a partner who teaches at UCSB, helped secure the insurance benefits he needed to maximize his ability to function with some degree of independence. If he had to struggle, his argument was that the system was in dire need of reform. .
Barkan was first diagnosed with ALS in 2016 at the age of 32. Two years later, knowing his time was short, Barkan embarked on a road trip he dubbed the Summer of Heroes, crossing 22 states in 40 days with his crew. , is at odds with members of Congress over its position on the Affordable Care Act in general, and more specifically over provisions that protect insurance for individuals deemed to have pre-existing conditions.
