Improve Access to Care Archives - Page 11 of 17

New Pieces of Legislation Passed Mark Up to Improve Dialysis Care
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New Pieces of Legislation Passed Mark Up to Improve Dialysis Care

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:40+00:00July 19th, 2017|Categories: Care Coordination, Increase Quality of Care, Medicare Advantage|

View from the gallery as the committee approves the legislation. Two pieces of legislation have been passed by unanimous consent by the Ways and Means Committee with provisions that improve dialysis care. The Medicare Part B Improvement Act of 2017 (H.R. 3178) and H.R. 3168—contain 3 provisions which will improve dialysis care. H.R. 3178 expands access to home dialysis by allowing the use of telemedicine for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) related visits as well as allows new dialysis facilities to received outside accreditation in order to provide treatment. The second piece of legislation includes a provision to allow [...]

DPC Advocacy Day 2017 Recap
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DPC Advocacy Day 2017 Recap

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:40+00:00July 13th, 2017|Categories: Article, Care Coordination, Charitable Premium Assistance, Medigap Coverage|Tags: Advocacy Day|

Each year, Dialysis Patient Citizens is proud to bring dialysis patients to Washington, D.C. in order to meet with their legislators about the issues affecting patients nationwide. This year, we are pleased to have hosted 25 dialysis patients and their family members from across the country. Patients arrived to Washington, D.C. and were greeted by an informal networking dinner to meet new advocates and re-connect with veteran advocates. The following day, those needing dialysis received treatment in four different local facilities then returned for an afternoon of advocacy training. Our primary “asks” this year were centered around the Medigap provision [...]

DPC Submits Comments on Market Stabilization

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:40+00:00March 9th, 2017|Categories: Comment Letter, Transportation Services|

A recent proposed rule released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) provided guidance for market stabilization of the Affordable Care Act. Within this proposed rule, network adequacy provisions for dialysis clinics provided a narrow scope for insurers. In comments submitted by DPC on March 6, we argued stronger time and distance criteria need to be added to these provisions. Research shows there is little difference between living in a metropolitan area compared to living in a rural environment, but there are significant mortality risks associated with actual distance from a dialysis facility. Additionally, after only 15 minutes of [...]

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 [...]

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