Dialysis Patient Citizens News
DPC Gives Thanks to All Our Amazing Advocates
DPC would like to give thanks to our many patient advocates, family members, friends, coalition partners, legislative champions, healthcare partners, and countless supporters for your dedicated commitment and collaboration over the past 20 years. We are grateful for everything you do to help elevate the patient voice with policy makers. Wishing you and your loved ones a safe, healthy, and happy Thanksgiving celebration.
Native American Heritage Month
Native Americans have the highest diabetes prevalence in the U.S., which is the leading cause of kidney disease; they are two times more likely to develop kidney failure compared to white Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Because people in the early stages of kidney failure often experience few or no symptoms, it’s important to get regular screenings, especially if you have a family history of diabetes or are at risk for diabetes. An early diagnosis and treatment plan can help preserve kidney function [...]
Federal Officials Update Kidney Community on Baxter Hurricane Recovery
Officials from the US Department of Health and Human Services updated kidney care leaders on the fallout from hurricane damage to Baxter’s North Caroline plant. A representative of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response said that it is working with the FDA and Baxter to mitigate shortages of fluids for dialysis patients. The government has invoked the Defense Production Act to ensure that Baxter has the materials needed to clean up their facility. Two other companies are increasing production to their full capacity to bring additional products [...]
Medicare Drug Plans Are Getting Better Next Year. Some Will Also Cost More.
By Susan Jaffe October 21, 2024 When Pam McClure learned she’d save nearly $4,000 on her prescription drugs next year, she said, “it sounded too good to be true.” She and her husband are both retired and live on a “very strict” budget in central North Dakota. By the end of this year, she will have spent almost $6,000 for her medications, including a drug to control her diabetes. McClure, 70, is one of about 3.2 million people with Medicare prescription drug insurance whose out-of-pocket medication costs will be capped at [...]
Letter: Dialysis patients deserve better
I remember being diagnosed with kidney disease in 2012 and beginning peritoneal dialysis in 2014. It was an undoubtedly difficult period in my life. Fortunately, I could continue working full time, which allowed me to keep my private insurance. Although Medicare became my primary plan, my private insurance covered 20% of the bill that Medicare did not. My private insurance also broadened my access to treatments and medications. Most patients on dialysis are not well enough to continue working and rely entirely on public assistance. Patients must [...]
Preserve health protections
To the editor: I’ve had kidney troubles ever since I was born. It’s been exhausting managing my health care needs. It became even harder when I began dialysis, the only treatment for kidney failure besides a transplant. Taking care of my health while fulfilling my responsibilities as a mother and a business owner was overwhelming. If you or a loved one have had intensive medical needs, you know how incredibly hard daily life becomes. Eventually, I was able to receive a kidney transplant — only because I [...]
Private Insurance for Dialysis Care Introduced in the Senate
Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) recently introduced The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act (S. 5018), which is the Senate companion to H.R. 6860 introduced earlier this year. If you are a dialysis patient, you may be eligible for Medicare, but you also have the right to keep your private employer-sponsored health insurance for up to 30 months after being diagnosed with kidney failure. However, a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision could limit your access to private coverage by allowing health [...]
Letter: Rep. Peters and Other Leaders Must Support Legislation Protecting Dialysis Patients
Like over 91,000 Californians, my father suffers from end stage renal disease — kidney failure, or ESRD. My father has been receiving dialysis, the only treatment for ESRD besides a kidney transplant, for over 18 years. Dialysis is a life-consuming, exhausting treatment, but it keeps my father alive. I have served as my father’s part-time caregiver during these years. Unfortunately, many dialysis patients struggle with their healthcare expenses. Many rely on their employer-provided private insurance, especially during the first months of care, but dialysis treatment can make it very [...]
A letter to the editor
One day, I began feeling very tired and felt short-of-breath. Next thing I knew, I awoke in the hospital and received the diagnosis of End Stage Renal Disease, or kidney failure. I immediately needed to undergo dialysis, the three times per week treatment which filters my blood. I received dialysis treatments for five years in order to stay alive, before receiving a kidney transplant in 2016. Unfortunately, many dialysis patients struggle to pay for their all of their health care expenses, which often puts transplant out of [...]
Congress: Please stand up for Minnesotans on dialysis
When I was serving as my father’s caregiver through his dialysis treatments, I was struck by how difficult it can be to navigate the health insurance landscape. I was constantly on the phone with Medicare and the VA to ensure he was covered. Dialysis is an essential treatment that extends someone’s life and keeps them healthy, which is why it shouldn’t be hard to get proper coverage. Yet instead of becoming easier for patients, it’s getting even more complicated. The Supreme Court recently ruled that private insurers [...]
Letter: ‘Requesting legislative action’
I urge U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) to support the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. This legislation allows new dialysis patients to keep their private insurance, a critical financial lifeline, for their initial months of care. Dialysis is the only treatment for those awaiting a kidney transplant. However, a recent Supreme Court decision enables private insurers to weaken coverage in the first months of care, essentially pushing patients onto Medicare prematurely. This shift places enormous burdens on patients who need stability during a challenging time when [...]
First class of Community Health Workers complete Chronic Kidney Disease training program
DPC is pleased to announce that the first graduating class of community health workers (CHW) from Illinois have completed the Chronic Kidney Disease CHW training curriculum. DPC has led this effort in Illinois over the last two years, developing the first-in-the-nation kidney disease training curriculum for CHWs. The training will help CHWs educate their communities about kidney disease and help people at risk for kidney failure learn how to take care of their health, slow disease progression and reduce the number of people who start dialysis in [...]
DPC Comments to CMS Sound Alarm on Workforce Shortages
In our comments responding to Medicare’s annual ESRD Payment Rule, DPC took the government to task over payment updates that lag increases in labor costs and failure to effectively cover new drugs for dialysis patients. The proposed rule grants a net increase in the base rate of only 0.8% during a year in which wages, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, rose 4.2%. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission estimates a margin of zero for dialysis facilities in 2024, with many rural and low-volume facilities in the red. [...]
DPC’s Letter to Hon. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator for CMS, on CMS-1805-P
August 19, 2024 Hon. Chiquita Brooks-LaSure, Administrator Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21244 Re: CMS-1805-P: End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System, Payment for Renal Dialysis Services Furnished to Individuals with Acute Kidney Injury, Conditions for Coverage for End-Stage Renal Disease Facilities, End-Stage Renal Disease Quality Incentive Program, and End-Stage Renal Disease Treatment Choices Model Dear Administrator Brooks-LaSure: Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) writes to offer its comments on the above referenced proposed rule. DPC's membership, currently about 35,000, is restricted to kidney disease [...]
Indiana Governor Signs Affordable Medigap Access Legislation
In a major victory for under-age 65 dialysis patients in Indiana, Governor Eric Holcomb signed SB 215 in a formal bill signing ceremony on August 15, 2024. Attending this ceremonial bill signing was DPC Patient Ambassador Arthur Hill and DPC Eastern Region Advocacy Director Elizabeth Lively. Arthur’s impactful story of his dialysis journey elevated the voices of dialysis patients in Indiana, bringing the struggles of dealing with kidney failure to the forefront and influencing the hearts and minds of legislators to support SB 215. SB 215 becomes [...]
DPC Advocates for Dialysis Patients at National Conference of State Legislators Summit
State legislators from across the nation convened in Louisville, Kentucky August 5-8 for the 50th National Conference of State Legislators Summit. As part of DPCs ongoing work in the states, DPC was on hand to share our critically important work on access to affordable Medigap coverage. Megan Hashbarger, VP of Government Relations, Yolonda Brisbane, Grassroots Manager, and Elizabeth Lively, Eastern Region Advocacy Director attended the event. We heard so many stories from interested state legislators who either a family member or friend dealing with kidney disease issues. Legislators [...]