In the United States, dialysis treatment should be affordable. Unfortunately, inadequate coverage for dialysis often plunges patients into debt. Dialysis should not bankrupt you. In our system, Americans on dialysis almost always wind up using Medicare. Since Medicare only covers 80% of the bill, patients must figure out how to cover the remainder. I was on dialysis for 10 years, and I received a kidney transplant in 2018. I was forced to stop working when I began dialysis, but my mother’s private insurance covered my bill. Private insurance helped me immensely; however, a recent Supreme Court decision may give private insurance companies the power to strip coverage from new dialysis patients. If I was stripped of private coverage when just beginning treatment, I do not know where I would be today. This is why Congressman Rick Allen must support the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act, which guarantees dialysis patients the right to keep full private coverage for 30 months after beginning treatment. Dialysis is a life or death affair, and financial concerns should play no part in the process.
Kristi Flynn, Grovetown, Georgia
