Democratic rabble-rouser, Rep. Katie Porter, successfully pressed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention chief, Dr. Robert Redfield, during a congressional hearing to waive the cost of Covid-19 testing for all Americans by executing his authority under federal regulations.
She managed to extract a commitment from him to pay for testing of the novel coronavirus by holding up a whiteboard and outlining all the associated costs of getting tested.
Porter said:
I did the math. We live in a world where 40% of Americans can’t even afford a $400 unexpected expense,” said Porter. “We live in a world where 33% of Americans put off medical treatment last year, and we have $1,133 expense just for testing for the coronavirus.
I also did the legal research: The Administration has the authority to make testing free for every American TODAY. I secured a commitment from a high-level Trump official that they’d actually do it.
While many insurers have said they’d pick up the cost of coronavirus testing for some policyholders, it doesn’t mean that it’s necessarily free. Then there’s those who can’t afford health insurance (or don’t have it) who likely cannot afford the cost. The fear of the expense and inability to pay it would discourage more impoverished Americans from getting tested.
Porter said:
Fear of these costs are going to keep people from being tested, from getting the care they need and from keeping their communities safe.
Then she cited a law that lets the CDC pay for costs of diagnostic testing to demand Redfield use this legal authority under the Code of Federal Regulations to waive the charge. She asked him:
Do you want to know who has coronavirus and who doesn’t? Not just rich people, but everybody who might have the virus?
Redfield said:
Yes. All of America. I think you’re an excellent questioner, so my answer is yes. And I would just like to echo what you said: It’s … very important (to) public health that … those individuals that are in the shadows can get the health care that they need during this, the time of us responding to this outbreak.
Porter concluded:
Excellent! Everybody in America hears that — you are eligible to go get tested for coronavirus and have that covered, regardless of insurance. 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.
Now everyone in America can help stop the spreading of the disease by getting tested if they need to.
