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 have private insurance in addition to Medicare. It’s unconscionable that dialysis patients without [...]

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 reach for many. Thankfully, I qualified for Medicare and Medicaid. However, many patients [...]

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 may no longer have to provide full coverage for dialysis treatments, even though [...]