Hannah Bracamonte, Author at Dialysis Patient Citizens

Dialysis Patient Citizens Statement on New CMS Rule That Would Harm Patient Access to Care
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Dialysis Patient Citizens Statement on New CMS Rule That Would Harm Patient Access to Care

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:09:17+00:00June 29th, 2023|Categories: Dialysis Funding, News, Press Release|

WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 29, 2023) -- Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC), the nation's largest dialysis patient advocacy organization, released the following statement regarding a new rule proposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that would only increase reimbursement for dialysis treatments by 1.6% in calendar year 2024, while also falling short in funding access to new therapies. "This proposed rule sends a clear and unfortunate message that CMS does not prioritize access to care for kidney disease patients like me," said Andrew Conkling, DPC's Board Chair and a lifelong kidney patient. "Dialysis patients are already some of the most vulnerable Americans, and [...]

Nebraska resident rallies for LB-32
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Nebraska resident rallies for LB-32

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:09:17+00:00June 21st, 2023|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

NEBRASKA -- Fifteen states do not require insurers to offer Medigap policies to people under 65 who are already enrolled through Medicare according to AARP. Medigap helps patients to afford deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs with policies such as Medicare Part B. However, Nebraska is one of those states that doesn't require it to be offered, to the shock of one North Platte resident named Jean Kay battling multiple sclerosis. "It was mind-boggling," said Kay. Jean Kay has been living with MS for over 20 years. Back in 2018, she was denied supplemental insurance due to her age of 61, [...]

I Received a Kidney Transplant, but Concerns about Coverage Remain
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I Received a Kidney Transplant, but Concerns about Coverage Remain

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:09:17+00:00June 20th, 2023|Categories: Blog, Medigap Coverage, Patient Ambassadors, Patient's Voice, Private Insurance Coverage|

Ruben Garcia, Webster, Texas After years on dialysis, I was fortunate to receive a kidney transplant. While I am grateful to be off dialysis, its emotional and financial burdens will take years to recover from. When I started dialysis I had no private insurance and was 100% reliant on Medicare. Medicare, however, only covers 80 percent of each treatment. I couldn’t afford to pay out of pocket, but what choice did I have? I couldn’t live without these treatments. Medicare also does not cover all costs of kidney transplants and the medications needed afterward. Going through dialysis while wondering [...]

Dialysis Patient Citizens Mourns the Loss of Terry Peeler
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Dialysis Patient Citizens Mourns the Loss of Terry Peeler

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:09:17+00:00June 1st, 2023|Categories: Article, Board Members, Medigap Coverage|

It is with a heavy heart that Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) Board, staff, and volunteers learned of the passing of one of our Board Members, Terry Peeler. Terry was the first African American full-time Fire Chief and paramedic in Sumter County, Alabama, appointed in the year 2000. He proudly served as a firefighter and paramedic for the City of Livingston, Alabama. He was also elected Sumter County Coroner in 1999, a position he had been re-elected to. In October of 2016, Terry was diagnosed with end stage kidney disease and had to start dialysis, which meant retiring from his career as [...]

Lawmakers Come Together to Help Transplant Patients
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Lawmakers Come Together to Help Transplant Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:09:17+00:00May 25th, 2023|Categories: Access to Transplant, Advance Patient Choice, Article|

Earlier this week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up and unanimously passed H.R. 2544 - The Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act. This bill was introduced by Rep. Bucshon (R-IN) and Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL) and Senator Grassley (R-IA) and Chairman Wyden (D-OR) and would improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the organ transplantation process. The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has held a monopoly over the contract to manage organ distribution since 1984. Recent reports have raised concerns about how this monopoly affects the national Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN). This legislation [...]

DPC advises dialysis patients covered by Medicaid to update contact information
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DPC advises dialysis patients covered by Medicaid to update contact information

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:09:17+00:00May 13th, 2023|Categories: Article, Medicaid|

Many states used additional federal funding to expand Medicaid enrollment during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE), first declared by the US Department of Health and Human Services on January 31, 2020 and ending May 11, 2023. With the end of the PHE, many federal programs and funding – including the Medicaid continuous coverage requirement and accompanying federal funding – will be ending. While it is unlikely that dialysis patients who are covered by both Medicare and Medicaid (known as dual eligibles) will lose their Medicaid coverage, DPC is urging that they make sure the state has their current contact [...]

New bill offers hope for Nebraskans with kidney disease struggling to afford coverage
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New bill offers hope for Nebraskans with kidney disease struggling to afford coverage

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:09:17+00:00May 10th, 2023|Categories: Medigap Coverage, Patient Stories in the News, Spotlight|

We are in a critical moment for health care in Nebraska. According to the Nebraska Hospital Association, health care costs are on the rise and likely to stay high, in part due to inflation affecting hospital equipment, labor shortages and other factors. As these costs rise, hospitals are overflowing with patients despite falling numbers of COVID-19 cases. These pressures add up to create a concerning outlook for both health care providers and patients across Nebraska. This is especially true for those patients who were already struggling even before rising costs and limited space came to the forefront. Dialysis patients are at a distinct [...]

Local View: Time to close the Medigap
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Local View: Time to close the Medigap

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:09:17+00:00May 10th, 2023|Categories: Medigap Coverage, Patient Stories in the News|

Oct. 10, 2018 marked the start of an incredibly difficult period for my family. That was the day my husband Steve left our home in North Platte to move to North Dakota – more than 10 hours away – just so we could pay for the medical care I needed to fight multiple sclerosis. I was diagnosed with MS more than 20 years ago while working as a registered nurse. Its progression caused changes in my employment – from a clinic nurse and public health nurse to a sedentary position reviewing Medicare files. The disease’s progression eventually forced me to [...]

House Introduction of the Living Donor Protection Act
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House Introduction of the Living Donor Protection Act

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:09:18+00:00May 1st, 2023|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care|

On April 27th, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), Congressman Troy Balderson (R-OH), Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE), Congressman Jim Costa (D-CA), Congressman John Curtis (R-UT), Congresswoman Diana DeGette (D-CO), Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks (R-IA), Congressman Gregory F. Murphy, M.D. (R-NC), and joined by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), introduced the Living Donor Protection Act to protect the rights of living organ donors. This legislation would prohibit life, disability, and long-term care insurance companies from denying or limiting coverage and from charging higher premiums for living organ donors; It would amend the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 [...]

What Patients Should Know About Medicare’s New Immunosuppressive Drug Benefit
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What Patients Should Know About Medicare’s New Immunosuppressive Drug Benefit

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:09:18+00:00April 18th, 2023|Categories: Article, Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage, Medicare Advantage, News|

It had always seemed illogical that Medicare coverage for under-65 ESRD patients ends 36 months after a successful kidney transplant. Why would Medicare make a huge investment in a transplant and then stop paying to safeguard the organ from rejection? For this reason, decades ago kidney care advocates sought a new Medicare benefit extending coverage for immunosuppressive drugs. This bill finally became law in December 2020, and is now being implemented by Medicare. While kidney care advocates applauded this development, it’s important to understand that the context for the bill has changed in light of passage of the Affordable Care [...]

About Hannah Bracamonte

Dialysis Patient Citizens

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