Advance Patient Choice Archives - Page 8 of 13

Researchers and Journalists Call Out Poorly Performing Organ Procurement Organizations
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Researchers and Journalists Call Out Poorly Performing Organ Procurement Organizations

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:39+00:00July 16th, 2018|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article|

Recent research and journalism has highlighted significant variations in the ability of regional Organ Procurement Organizations (OPOs) to obtain donor organs for transplants. An analysis by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania rated 35 of 58 OPOs, and identified the best performers among them the OPOs serving Utah and Southern Idaho; Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Delaware; the Finger Lakes region of New York; Wisconsin; and Nebraska. The poorest performing were those serving the New York City region; Southern California; Kentucky; and North Carolina. The New York City OPO’s poor performance was highlighted in a New York Times article last week. [...]

Dialysis Patient Citizens Wins Court Ruling Against Insurer Veto on ESRD Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:40+00:00February 16th, 2017|Categories: Access to Transplant, Charitable Premium Assistance, Improve Access to Care, Legal Defense, Medigap Coverage, Treatment Options|

In a lawsuit filed by DPC against the Department of Health and Human Services, a federal court has blocked a regulation that would have given insurers veto power over ESRD patients’ access to private coverage. The judge called the regulation, that could have forced dialysis patients off their current health insurance and jeopardized their access to care, “arbitrary and capricious.” In enjoining the regulation’s enforcement, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas held that the rule was 1) procedurally defective because HHS adopted it without first giving the public notice of it and seeking comment on it, [...]

Dialysis Patient Advocates Applaud Ruling in Case Against CMS

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:40+00:00January 25th, 2017|Categories: Access to Transplant, Charitable Premium Assistance, Legal Defense, Medigap Coverage, Press Release|

Federal court blocks CMS regulation that would give insurers veto power over access to private coverage; judge calls it ‘arbitrary and capricious’ Washington, D.C. – Advocates for dialysis patients are celebrating a federal court ruling today to grant a preliminary injunction preventing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from implementing a regulation that could force patients off their current health insurance and jeopardize their access to care. In enjoining the regulation’s enforcement, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas held that the rule was 1) procedurally defective because HHS adopted it without first giving [...]

Dialysis Patient Advocates Seek Restraining Order Against CMS

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:41+00:00January 9th, 2017|Categories: Access to Transplant, Care Coordination, Charitable Premium Assistance, Medigap Coverage, Press Release, State Advocacy|

Lawsuit charges that CMS rule to take effect Jan. 13 gives insurers illegal veto power over access to private coverage Washington, D.C. – Advocates for dialysis patients filed suit in federal court today to prevent the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from enforcing a rule that could force patients off their current health plans and jeopardize their access to care. The regulation, which the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Dec. 13 outside the formal rulemaking process, gives insurers the power to prevent dialysis patients from receiving charitable premium assistance that makes it possible for [...]

Protecting Dialysis Patients’ Health Coverage

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:41+00:00January 9th, 2017|Categories: Access to Transplant, Blog, Care Coordination, Charitable Premium Assistance, Legal Defense, Medigap Coverage|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

By Hrant Jamgochian, CEO Dialysis Patient Citizens Across the country, thousands of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) face the agonizing choice of paying for necessities such as rent and food, or paying the insurance premiums that enable them to get dialysis and other critical care. Fortunately, ESRD patients have options. Thanks to federal law, they can enroll in Medicare at any age. Or, if they would rather keep a private insurance plan, they can apply for financial help from charities such as the American Kidney Fund. These payments are a lifeline that enables patients to maintain their existing coverage and [...]

Dialysis Patients Outraged by CMS Move Giving Insurers Illegal Veto Power Over Access to Private Coverage

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:41+00:00December 19th, 2016|Categories: Access to Transplant, Care Coordination, Charitable Premium Assistance, Legal Defense, Medigap Coverage, Press Release|

Dialysis Patient Citizens says CMS rule tacitly allows insurers to discriminate based on patients’ health condition Washington, D.C. – Advocates for dialysis patients are outraged by an interim final rule issued late yesterday by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) that could force patients off their current health plans and jeopardize their access to care. The rule, which CMS wrote with the stated purpose of ensuring that dialysis patients receive accurate information about their health coverage options, instead empowers insurers to prevent those patients from receiving charitable premium assistance that makes their health insurance affordable. “The administration is [...]

CMS Updates Policies and Payment Rates for End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System (CMS 1651-F)

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:41+00:00November 14th, 2016|Categories: Article, Dialysis Funding, Quality Incentive Program, Treatment Options|

On October 28, 2016, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a final rule that updates payment policies and rates under the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System (PPS) for renal dialysis services furnished beginning January 1, 2017. Under the ESRD PPS for 2017, Medicare expects to pay approximately $9 billion to approximately 6,000 ESRD facilities to cover dialysis services. The finalized 2017 ESRD base rate will be $231.55. CMS projects that the updates for 2017 will increase total payments to all ESRD facilities by 0.73 percent compared with 2016, amounting to about $80 million. CMS is finalizing an increase to [...]

DPC Submits Comments to CMS’ Request for Information

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:42+00:00October 13th, 2016|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Charitable Premium Assistance|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

In late August, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) placed a Request for Information about insurance steering and the use of third-party payments for insurance premiums. DPC has consistently advocated for patient choice in regards to insurance plans, we believe patients have the right to choose an insurance plan that works best with their health needs and desired outcomes. DPC submitted comments in response to this request emphasizing the increased benefits some exchange plans offer to dialysis patients as opposed to traditional Medicare. In addition to submitting formal comments, DPC has created a dedicated “Patient Assistance” information page where you can find press [...]

DPC Responds to CMS’ Request for Information

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:28+00:00August 19th, 2016|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Charitable Premium Assistance|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

If anyone doesn’t know why the public is fed-up with our government, all they need to do is look at yesterday’s RFI on third party payment, which can best be summarized as “politics as usual” and big insurance dictating its own agenda. The former CMS Administrator – who is now the nation’s leading lobbyist for the insurance industry – appears to be getting the Agency to prioritize her new employer’s desires over the needs of the nation’s most vulnerable patients. To put even more pressure on the Obama Administration, Aetna just threatened to pull out of even more health insurance exchanges if it doesn’t get [...]

Did Payment Reform Affect Patient Modality Choice?

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:28+00:00August 11th, 2016|Categories: Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, Medicare Advantage, Treatment Options|

One of the main policy goals of Dialysis Patient Citizens is to Improve Access to Care. This tenet includes improving patient access to all dialysis modalities: home hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, in-center hemodialysis and transplantation. Through our annual membership survey, we’ve uncovered various barriers for patients who would like to receive home hemodialysis. Many patients are unable to receive treatments in their home because of a lack of a caregiver, which is a requirement to receive treatment. However, DPC has also uncovered that the type of insurance a patient has may affect the likelihood of whether they are informed of home dialysis [...]

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