Improve Access to Care Archives - Page 11 of 16

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 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 [...]

Dialysis Patient Act Reported Favorably out of the House Ways & Means Committee

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:28+00:00September 9th, 2016|Categories: Article, Care Coordination|

In a health subcommittee hearing on September 8, the House Ways & Means Committee reported the Dialysis Patient Act (H.R. 5942) favorably out of committee. This, along with the ESRD Choice Act (H.R 5659), now have the opportunity to reach the House floor for a vote. In the most recent issue of The Kidney Citizen, personalized postcards were included for you to mail to our office to deliver to your legislators on the Dialysis Patient Act. Please take a moment to sign your name, and drop those postcards in the mail for us to pass along on your behalf.

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 [...]

ESRD Choice Act Moves out of Committee with Unanimous Support

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:28+00:00August 11th, 2016|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Care Coordination, Medicare Advantage|

Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) hailed the introduction of H.R. 5659 as the latest in a series of milestones toward opening Medicare Advantage (MA) enrollment to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. With bi-partisan introduction by Reps. Jason Smith (R-MO), John Lewis (D-GA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Kurt Schrader (D-OR) and Tom Marino (R-PA), this legislation is a momentous step forward to providing dialysis patients increased access to insurance. “As a dialysis patient of 5 years, I am fortunate to have secondary insurance to cover what Medicare does not, however I know many patients in my facility don’t have that luxury. Providing dialysis patients access [...]

New Legislation Introduced to Improve Dialysis Patient Care

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:29+00:00July 3rd, 2016|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Care Coordination|

The Dialysis PATIENT Act (Patient Access To Integrated care, Empowerment, Nephrologists, and Treatment), S. 3090, recently introduced by Senators Heller (R-NV) and Nelson (D-FL). It follows introduction of the House version (H.R. 5506) the previous week by Reps. Young (R-IN), Blumenauer (D-OR), McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) and Cardenas (D-CA). The Dialysis PATIENT Act would permit dialysis organizations to accept capitated payments to cover all of an ESRD patient's Medicare expenditures in return for coordinating care for their renal disease and other comorbidities. The program would be voluntary for patients and provide access to an expanded clinical team that would “quarterback” their care. [...]

Dialysis Patient Citizens Applauds Introduction of Dialysis PATIENT Demonstration Bills

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:29+00:00June 27th, 2016|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Care Coordination, Dialysis Funding|

Bipartisan, bicameral legislation mandating a new Medicare demonstration of integrated care for ESRD patients will help spread best practices for treating this population, says beneficiary advocacy group Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC). “As an in-center hemodialysis patient of 41 years, I am well aware of the multiple health issues that a large percentage of my fellow patients have to cope with on a daily basis. Coordinating their care among health providers would lead to better outcomes for patients and reward providers for optimal care with fewer dollars spent overall,” said Jack Reynolds, DPC’s president and a dialysis patient from Carlisle, Iowa. A [...]

DPC Participates in Home Dialysis Briefing Emphasizing Current Barriers to Treatment

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:29+00:00June 6th, 2016|Categories: Improve Access to Care, Medicaid, Treatment Options|

Hrant Jamgochian, CEO of Dialysis Patient Citizens, participated in a congressional briefing sponsored by the Alliance for Home Dialysis on May 16th. DPC joined hip-hop artist David Rush, former U.S. Representative Karen Thurman, Larry Weisberg and Dr. Sue Quaggin to provide policymakers with policy options to improve access to home dialysis. DPC’s most recent membership survey indicated significant insurance barriers to access for home dialysis. However, the largest barrier for most patients was the lack of a care partner. The DPC survey found that while 74% of ESRD patients overall were informed about the option of home hemodialysis, there was an information gap [...]

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