Free coronavirus testing---oh no, SOOOOOOCIALISM!!!

In an amusing and encouraging bit of drama yesterday, the Trump appointee Robert Kadlec, director of the CDC, was roasted over an open flame during a Congressional hearing by Congresswoman Katie Porter.

She asked him how much it would cost a person without insurance to get a lab test for the coronavirus. He repeatedly said he had no idea. She then schooled him with a chart showing that it would cost over $1,300.

Next, she referred to a letter she and two colleagues had sent to Kadlec a week ago. In that letter, they asked Kadlec to use his authority, which he has by law, to provide funding for free coronavirus testing for all who want it and are not covered by insurance. She mentioned that per that law, implemented by Obama (which Trump somehow forgot to obliterate), the director of the CDC does not need Congressional or executive approval to do this.

Finally, she asked him if he was going to use that authority to authorize free testing for all. He prevaricated, used weasel words, and failed to answer six times. Porter asked him a seventh time. He finally said "yes."

Now, that testing provision is also in the House bill coming up for a vote today (hopefully). But Porter wanted Kadlec to commit. What's really disgusting is that Kadlec didn't even know, apparently, that he had that power as head of the CDC. Typical Trump stooge--doesn't even know his own job!

Katie Porter already has a reputation for asking tough questions at Congressional hearings. This was like watching a bulldog clamp onto someone's leg and not let go. She's my new hero.

So, how much is being charged right now for this test?  Anybody here had it done? 

Ask your PC clinic doctor Medical Director, Chief of Staff of a Hospital, "What is the cost of the Influenza Screen for a patient without insurance?"  They will have no idea and tell you to talk with someone in billing.  Not only  is it not their job to know the price of every test and procedure, but those things differ from facility to facility, state to state, etc., as does the elegibility of the individual patient based on things other than insurance.

Husband's primary care place charged $99.04 for the Influenza Screen (nasal swab).   I doubt this price is the same everywhere.  There was reasonable suspicion to do the test, unlike Kevin's suggestion to test "anybody who wants it" for coronavirus.  

I'm not a cheerleader for any of the names Kevin mentioned.

I normally avoid this forum like, well, ... like the plague, but I made an exception today, because of the *visible portion* of the topic that appeared on the forum main page.

I'm glad I did, because I actually learned something from this very well-written, non-hysterical, ad hominem-free post. I'm going to now read-up on this Robert Kadlec and his testimony at the hearing.

If people in this cesspool of insults and flaming (aptly named the "Kitchen Sink" -- only if one's notion of a kitchen sink is that of long term storage for dirty dishes -- wrote posts like this instead of the usual flame wars, it would be a valuable forum to visit.

It doesn't "cost" $1300 to get tested for this disease...thats just what our healthcare system charges for it.   Its a good demonstration of the problems with our healthcare system in general....and something I've tried to point out here before.

The "ala carte" payment system for providers for every test (and every component of every test) is something that largely differentiates us from the rest of the world.    having "Medicare for all" might be a cost saver to some degree that it streamlines insurance and reduces overhead....but  the "ala carte" system of payment is the real cost hiker in this country.

Doctors and staff should be paid by the number of patients they see or number of hours worked - not by how many tests/procedures/xrays/pharmaceuticals they administer.      

So even if the CDC orders this test be "free" for patients  there will still be a bill....and that bill is alot higher per captia in this country than others.   And its the same friggin test.   

The value of this forum has gratly diminished from the day Kevin started posting here, and continues to go downhill with each day. If one disagrees with what I say here, there is plenty of written evidence in the current and past postings by him. His filth spewed rhetoric and personal attacks, along with his twisted views has literally run off many who used to post here. 

Pot meet kettle.

I've read about, and I also heard Mayor de Blasio describe this procedure:

First, they do a test (the name of which I forget) that's been around for a long time, is cheap and readily available. It tests for the presence of 27? known flu bugs, but NOT Covid-19. If you test positive with this test, it is, for practical purposes, the equivalent to testing negative for the coronavirurs, so it's assumed you don't have Covid-19.

If you test negative for the "rapid influenza diagnostic tests (RIDTs)" -- I just Googled it. That may or may not be the name of the test they give you to rule out Covid-19 -- then, and only then, if your symptoms are consistent with the coronavirus, will they try to get a coronavirus test to give you.

It doesn't matter how much the test costs because they still aren't testing people. Unless you are a high ranking politician or celebrity of some renown, you won't get a test. Regular folks have to be in distress to the point that they need immediate hospitalization. Even then, there is still a good chance they won't get one.

"Literally" run off? They got up and ran away? I hope it wasn't off a cliff or anything.

All you have to do is skip over everything written by David Miller, Boilerman, Tom, or Charles and you'll see a lot of thoughtful discussion. I quite frankly should never even respond to anything they say and I'm sorry for having done so in the past. Discussions with them are worse than useless.

This should never have been a partisan issue. However, Trump made it that by, as recently as two weeks ago, claiming that the coronavirus was a Democratic hoax cooked up in order to worsen his reelection chances. Also, Republicans are blocking mitigation efforts in the House and Senate because...er...apparently...Democrats want them. And now, Trump has wheeled out his signature xenophobia with his travel bans and blaming the Chinese for the virus's existence--which is, of course, just throwing red meat to his very base "base." How the coronavirus affects Trump's reelection chances is something utterly irelevant.

I think we're seeing now the tremendous cost of appointing political cronies to government positions rather than those who are best qualified for the job. We're also seeing a not-well-considered consequence of the huge Trump deficit--it's that much harder for the government to raise emergency funds without serious financial consequences. Congress, being the only branch of government not controlled by Republicans (this includes the courts now), is our last defense against corruption and cronyism. I'm proud and relieved to see members of Congress stepping up to save lives when none of the other people in charge seem to want to bother.

Bottom line, we'll get through this, but with massive societal disruption, tremendous financial cost, and of course, thousands of deaths. It could have largely been avoided had the administration reacted promptly to the crisis. That failure of leadership won't be forgiven by the public.