Scientist candidate seeks affordable heath care

Katie Geppert
Katie Geppert

Political novice Katy Geppert had an epiphany in 2016.

Geppert, 36, found herself being laid off from her job in the nutrition and health department of DuPont's St. Louis office after the company merged with Dow Chemical. Her husband works for a small business that is not obligated to provide health care coverage for their employees. At eight months pregnant with her first child, Geppert suddenly found herself facing a future without health insurance.

So she decided to run for Congress.

"I was the one who had coverage and benefits for all of us," Geppert said. "When I saw the opportunity for improvement, I said, 'I think I can do this.'"

Geppert has never run for office at any level of government. She began her campaign for Missouri's 3rd Congressional District seat late last year.

A Democrat from St. Louis, Geppert said her family and career are important pillars upon which she is building her campaign. More than anything else, she said, voters in the 3rd District tell her they want access to affordable health care.

Geppert grew up in the St. Louis suburb of Collinsville, Illinois. She earned a bachelor of science degree at Quincy University and a master's degree in chemistry from Saint Louis University.

She is a research scientist and a chemist by trade and has worked for companies around the St. Louis area. Now she works for Bunge North America, the St. Louis-based division of agribusiness and food ingredient company Bunge Ltd.

Geppert said she decided to run for Congress because she saw room for improvement and parallels between her job and public service.

"I solve problems every day, so a lot of those skills can be transferred to the public service sector," she said.

Geppert landed on her feet after being laid off from DuPont, but she worries about others without affordable access to quality health care. Signifigant changes need to be made to the Affordable Care Act, she conceded, but she wants the law to remain in place.

"When I talk with people in the district, that is the No. 1 thing on people's minds," Geppert said. "While some are not happy with how things are, they don't want it to go back to the way it was."

If elected, she hopes Medicare access could be expanded to more people. She supports the idea of a Medicare-for-all system, similar to the one proposed by U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vermont, last year, although she knows the odds of it passing Congress are slim.

Geppert wants health care markets to become less volatile, even if it means people pay slightly higher taxes.

"If we can save people as much money as possible, that's the best path forward," she said. "If Medicare for all would take us there, I would absolutely support that."

Geppert faces Republican incumbent Blaine Luetkemeyer and Libertarian candidate Donald Stolle.

She's been on the campaign trail, attending events, like a recent car show in the Lake of the Ozarks, area to get the word out about her campaign.

Geppert said she has a great support system at home from her husband, Tyler, to support the family - including daughters Willa, 2, and Genevieve, 9 weeks, if she ends up in Washington.

If elected, she hopes to bring fresh ideas to Congress and to work with her peers, Geppert said.

"As a scientist, we don't always work alone," she said. "It's really important that we collaborate and discuss ideas as much as we can."