Katie Porter is the Hero We Need
March is Women’s History Month, which has unfortunately been overshadowed by the horrendous panic of COVID-19 ruining everything. But state rep Katie Porter proves that you can’t keep a good woman down.
Last week on March 12th during a House Oversight and Committee Reform hearing, Democratic Rep. Katie Porter from Irvine, California played some political “The Price is Right” with the director of the CDC Robert Redfield as she prompted him to commit to free COVID-19 testing for every American, regardless if they have insurance or not.
Porter pulled out a whiteboard and tallied up the total cost for an uninsured American to receive a coronavirus test, itemizing every line from the initial flu test to the ER visit: the battery amount was $1,331.
“Doctor Redfield,” she asked, “do you want to know who has the coronavirus and who doesn’t? Not just rich people, but everybody who might have the virus?”
That question sparked a series of relentless pressing from Porter with the candor of an elementary school principal doling out bad news and disciplinary action. It choked out a promise from free COVID-19 testing from Redfield after he admitted defeat.
Last Thursday’s hearings focused on the government’s response to COVID-19, specifically the scarcity of testing supplies and services. Despite Trump’s repeated lackadaisical assurances that the process with free testing is “going smoothly,” the lack of testing raised concerns about identifying and quarantining the virus if there was no testing available to see who is infected in the first place. Porter was also concerned about the financial barrier: that if people didn’t have the money to get tested, they would forgo testing altogether, which is dangerous.
In just 5 minutes, Porter gave America an answer that would have taken Redfield a week or longer to make.
She started grilling Redfield by pointing to a federal statute that gives the CDC director the power to “authorize payment for the care and treatment of patients subject to medical examination, quarantine, isolation, and conditional release.” The existing statute, Porter argued, meant that the federal government should be able to pay for everyone’s coronavirus tests without needing any new legislation.
“Doctor Redfield, will you commit the CDC right now to using that existing authority to pay for diagnostic testing free to every American, regardless of insurance?” she asked.
“Well,” he replied, “I can say we’re going to do everything to make sure everybody can get the care they-
“Nope, not good enough,” Porter said, annoyance rising but briskly said with an air of finality.
She proceeded to ask him the same question, this time with less patience and more urgency.
“What I’m going to say is,” Redfield responded, “I’m going to review it in detail with the CDC and the department.”
“No,” Porter shot back. And again: “I’m reclaiming my time.”
Porter was at her highest level of pissed at this point as she began to heavily stress how her and two of her colleagues sent a letter out seeking responses by Wednesday, and how the allotted time has passed already. Now, she said, he wasn’t giving her a clear answer and with the livelihoods of Americans on the line, she wasn’t have any half baked, scripted or delayed answers.
So she asked Redfield a third time: “Will you commit to invoking your existing authority under 42 CFR 71.30 to provide coronavirus testing for every American regardless of insurance coverage?”
“What I was trying to say,” Redfield tried again, “is that CDC is working with HHS now to see how we operationalize that.”
Exasperated, Porter blithely dismissed Redfield’s statement.
“Dr. Redfield, I hope that that answer weighs heavily on you because it is going to weigh very heavily on me and on every American family," she said.
He responded, "Our intent is to make sure that every American family gets the care and treatment they need at this time in this major epidemic and I am currently working with HHS to see how to best operationalize it."
"Dr. Redfield, you don't need to do any work to operationalize," Porter continued. "You need to make a commitment to the American people so they come in to get tested. You can operationalize the payment structure tomorrow --"
"I think you're an excellent questioner, so my answer is yes," Redfield said.
Porter’s relentless, brave and no holds barred questioning method just got the chief of the CDC to agree to free testing for all Americans regardless of insurance or not.
“Excellent! Everybody in America hears that -- you are eligible to go get tested for coronavirus and have that covered, regardless of insurance," Porter said. "Please -- if you believe you have the illness, follow precautions, call first, do everything the CDC and Dr. Fauci -- God bless you for guiding Americans in this time -- but do not let a lack of insurance worsen this crisis."
What the COVID crisis is unearthing is a stringent misuse of power and those in authority (besides Gov. Mike DeWine and Dr. Fauci) are unsure and not interested in the serious livelihoods of Americans and their health. By being a woman who was unfazed, on a mission and unapologetic in the face of uncertainty, we can learn a lot from Ms. Porter.
Her display of tenacity in a room of bigwigs and mainly men showed me that sometimes it’s necessary to hold people’s feet to the fire and hold them accountable to what needs to be done- especially when others' lives are hanging in the balance. Don’t be nice, sweet or compromise-be brilliant, be succinct, don’t take no for an answer and be harsh if it gets the point across.
In such a strange time of uncertainty, it’s more important now than ever to be hyper-vigilant and aware of world happenings. Porter did just that- she used her education to school other folks who would’ve otherwise acted only in their best self-interest instead of the majorities. Katie Porter, we don’t deserve your advocacy, but we thank you for being unapologetic, unfazed and a trailblazer for Americans in such a strange and trying time.