Dialysis Patient Citizens News

Editor, I’ve been on dialysis for more than 20 years, and I, like many other patients, struggle to afford the treatments that keep me alive. America’s health insurance system is supposed to give all patients equal support, but for dialysis patients, it doesn’t feel that way. The Supreme Court ruled that private insurers could automatically transition dialysis patients to Medicare instead of allowing them to stay on their private insurance for 30 months. When you first start dialysis, you’re quite sick and the experience can be traumatic, [...]

My daughter Dianne passed away at the age of 45 due to complications related to kidney failure, or End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Anyone who has lost a child knows the indescribable loss I experienced. However, few people understand the financial burdens ESRD patients face in addition to managing their health. I am extremely grateful that Medicare, combined with the benefits provided by the state of Pennsylvania, covered the bulk of Dianne’s healthcare expenses. Other patients, though, rely on employer-provided private insurance to cover their health care [...]

Dear Editor: Kidney failure, known as end stage renal disease (ESRD), brought many difficulties to my life. I had high blood pressure and diabetes, which ultimately caused my kidneys to fail. My kidney disease went undiagnosed for a long time, and when I was diagnosed, my husband, daughter and grandson had all recently passed away. I was already going through so much. My diagnosis made things even harder. Despite physical and financial problems, I’ve managed to persevere on dialysis resiliently. Financially, I’ve relied on Medicare and Medicaid, [...]

Living with kidney failure is hard, but it may become even harder. The Supreme Court issued a ruling that may give private insurers the power to weaken coverage for dialysis in the traditionally covered first 30 months of dialysis. This could push patients off their insurance too quickly and leave them with ridiculously high bills. I started dialysis treatment when I was 16 years old. Appointments, treatments and medications clouded my life like an incoming storm. Yet, I was lucky enough to not worry about bills since [...]

Kidney failure changes patients’ lives. I see patients battle kidney failure every day as a social worker at a dialysis clinic where they receive life-saving treatment. Unfortunately, physical hardships are only the beginning. As a social worker, I help dialysis patients deal with insurance companies. It is a challenging task: dialysis is costly, and insurance companies do their best to avoid paying. Nevertheless, private insurance gives patients the best opportunity to receive kidney transplants. Allowing kidney patients to keep their private insurance gives them the best shot. [...]

At 22, while serving in the Army National Guard, I discovered I had a hereditary immune disease called IgA nephropathy affecting my kidneys. When I turned 50, my kidneys finally began to fail. I then entered end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and began dialysis, which removes waste from the blood when the kidneys can't. Dialysis has been a part of my life ever since. My father and grandfather both suffered from ESRD. Losing my father to the disease last November was tragic, especially as I battled the disease [...]

My father’s battle with end-stage renal disease changed our family’s life. I cared for him as he endured dialysis for two years, showing immense courage. He received two transplants, including one of my kidneys, but sadly, he passed away. In his memory, I now advocate for kidney patients and am pursuing a master’s degree in physiology at Georgetown University. Dialysis patients like my father often face financial hardships. As a business owner, he paid up to $1,400 monthly for private insurance to receive better treatment options than [...]

Dear Editor: Kidney failure runs in my family, so I knew that my chances of experiencing kidney failure were high. I received the heartbreaking and scary diagnosis in 2004 and soon after I began dialysis, the sole treatment outside of a kidney transplant. I received a kidney transplant after an exhausting 13 years on dialysis. When I was first diagnosed, I relied on employer-provided private insurance to cover my healthcare expenses. After two years I transitioned to Medicare, and I currently rely on Medicare and private insurance. [...]

Being diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease, ESRD, or kidney failure, changed my life. Suddenly, I needed intravenous treatment three times per week to survive. Like so many ESRD patients, I had to uproot my life to receive treatment. I kept my job during my dialysis journey, working six hours a day and receiving treatment afterwards. I was perpetually exhausted — but I got through it. Adding to the challenges ESRD patients like me face, a recent Supreme Court decision allows private insurers to push high-cost consumers [...]

After I received a kidney transplant, I wrote a letter to the family of my donor expressing my immense gratitude. My journey with end stage renal disease took a toll, and the transplant marked a new beginning. I moved to Kansas City, began working full time and started a family. I received dialysis — a treatment three times per week to replace my kidney function — for almost seven years before receiving a transplant. I am extremely thankful for dialysis, but it was exhausting. I qualified for [...]

I was 14 when my father was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease, or kidney failure. I witnessed the suffering, anxiety, and helplessness the disease brought upon my family. I also witnessed the financial burden of medical bills, which became unaffordable once my father was forced off of his marketplace insurance. Traditionally, private insurance companies cover dialysis for 30 months after an individual starts treatment, providing patients with the opportunity to focus on their health rather than worrying about their finances. However, a recent U.S. Supreme Court [...]

I have kidney failure, and I need dialysis to survive. Dialysis is a treatment which removes excess water and toxins from my blood because my kidneys do not function naturally anymore. It has been a challenge, and my body is still getting used to the frequent treatment which wears down my body. Dialysis patients already worry enough about their physical condition. They should not have to worry about finances too. Sadly, they do. I was lucky to be retired and have sufficient coverage when I began dialysis, [...]