Healthcare

WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today announced that she will bring Children’s Hospital of Orange County’s (CHOC) Chief Psychologist Dr. Heather Huszti to the State of the Union address on Tuesday, February 4. “We have a pediatric mental health crisis in our country—15 million children are struggling with a mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder, and appropriate services are scarc... Read more »

WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today requested that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) provide Congress with critical information about the agency’s efforts to stop the spread of coronavirus and treat those infected. “This public health emergency demands a swift response to stop the spread of the virus,” Congresswoman Porter said. “During the recent district work p... Read more »

WASHINGTON—The House of Representatives today passed a provision championed by Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) to lower families’ medical expenses and save them money. The Porter provision does this by lowering the threshold at which families can deduct medical expenses from federal taxes from 10% to 7.5%. Porter previously led a bipartisan effort with 23 colleagues to call on House leaders fro... Read more »

WASHINGTON—A bill by Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) to prevent drug manufacturers from profiting off unreasonable price hikes passed the House of Representatives today as part of broader legislation to lower prescription drug costs. The Elijah E. Cummings Lower Drug Costs Now Act, which passed with Porter’s support, would allow federal officials to negotiate fair drug prices and included Porte... Read more »

Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) led her California congressional colleagues in demanding that the American Kidney Fund (AKF) reconsider its decision to abandon patients it supports in the state. Rep. Porter, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, Sen. Kamala Harris, and 12 additional Representatives for California, requested that AKF provide a pathway forward for the patients they are leaving behind and asked ... Read more »

Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today led a bipartisan effort with Republican Congressman Kenny Marchant and 22 colleagues to call on House leaders from both parties to reinstate 7.5% income threshold for deducting medical expenses from federal taxes in year-end legislation. If this income threshold is not reinstated by the end of the year, families currently deducting medical expenses could se... Read more »

Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today introduced legislation to protect students struggling with mental health challenges. The Student Mental Health Rights Act would ensure that mental health policies on college campuses are consistent with existing federal guidelines. “Too many students across the country who face mental health challenges find themselves dealing with an additional burden of un... Read more »

Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today introduced legislation that would protect patients from unnecessary price spikes. The Freedom from Price Gouging Act recovers taxpayer dollars from pharmaceutical companies when they try to hike their drug prices to increase their profits. “It’s time to hold Big Pharma accountable for jacking up drug prices to line their own pockets,” Congresswoman Porter s... Read more »

Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today called on the Trump Administration to conduct appropriate and necessary oversight for organ procurement organizations (OPOs), which are responsible for evaluating and securing organs from those who have decided to donate their organs. This request comes as a response to President Trump’s executive order signed in July of this year to improve the nation’s tr... Read more »

Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) and Congressman Bobby Rush (IL-1) today called on the Trump Administration to consider the impact of both current and future policies on populations receiving dialysis treatment. They were joined by fourteen of their colleagues in their oversight letter sent to Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Alex Azar and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS... Read more »