WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) has introduced legislation with Representatives Rosa DeLauro (CT-3), Rashida Tlaib (MI-13), and Jerrold Nadler (NY-10) to protect patients from reductions in coverage during public health emergencies. Porter’s Patients Before Profits Act would bar insurers from renegotiating contracts or decreasing reimbursement rates for doctors and other… Read more »

Katie Porter, a freshman Democrat in Congress, couldn’t have known when she wore a batgirl Halloween costume to Donald Trump’s impeachment vote in October that she would soon have the chance to help rescue millions of Americans during a global pandemic. But as Trump’s administration badly mishandles the deadly coronavirus outbreak, Porter has unexpectedly emerged as a true hero in a… Read more »

On Thursday, through a line of skillful and at times ruthless questioning, California Congresswoman Katie Porter got the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to commit to free testing for all Americans who may be carrying the coronavirus. Porter first filleted Health and Human Services (HHS) official Dr. Robert Kadlec on his apparent lack of knowledge about what… Read more »

Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) did the math. Like a host of “The Price Is Right,” Porter asked a Department of Health and Human Services official to guess what it would cost for an uninsured American to receive a coronavirus test, itemizing everything from the initial flu test to the expensive emergency room visit. She tallied up the total cost on a whiteboard: an estimated $1,331… Read more »

Democratic Rep. Katie Porter successfully pressed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief during a congressional hearing on Thursday to agree that the agency will pay for testing for the novel coronavirus. The exchange came after President Donald Trump, while addressing the nation on Wednesday night, incorrectly implied that coronavirus patients could access free… Read more »

WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) led an effort with Reps. Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) and Lauren Underwood (IL-14) to ensure cost is not a barrier for people getting tested for the COVID-19 coronavirus. The Congresswomen raised concerns to the Trump Administration that COVID-19 diagnostic testing and services aren’t affordable and accessible for patients, which will dissuade people… Read more »

WASHINGTON—Congresswoman Katie Porter (CA-45) today called out Trump Administration officials for a proposal that would enable debt collection practices that place patients’ private information at risk. The Administration’s new policy, which allows debt collectors to use unsecured means of communication, is particularly concerning for Americans with medical debt, as the lack of data… Read more »

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… 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… 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… Read more »