Protect Patient Care Archives - Page 6 of 12

DPC Opposes California Prop 23 which Threatens Patient Access to Care
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DPC Opposes California Prop 23 which Threatens Patient Access to Care

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:12:01+00:00October 19th, 2020|Categories: Article, State Advocacy|

Voting is already underway in several states, including California which has a statewide ballot initiative concerning dialysis patients. Proposition 23, as it is known, is another proposed ballot initiative by a labor union following a similar ballot dispute in 2018, which was defeated by a wide voter margin. Rather than focus on profit-caps again, this initiative would impose stricter regulations on dialysis clinics. Prop 23 would require a licensed physician (or a nurse practitioner or physician assistant, if an exemption is granted because of the ongoing physician shortage) to be on-site at dialysis clinics whenever patients are dialyzing. It would [...]

Dialysis Patient Citizens Files Lawsuit Against HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma Over New Regulation That Undercuts Dialysis Patient Access to Affordable, High-Quality Care
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Dialysis Patient Citizens Files Lawsuit Against HHS Secretary Alex Azar and CMS Administrator Seema Verma Over New Regulation That Undercuts Dialysis Patient Access to Affordable, High-Quality Care

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:12:04+00:00June 22nd, 2020|Categories: Care Coordination, Legal Defense, Medicare Advantage, News, Press Release|

WASHINGTON, D.C., (June 22, 2020) -- Today, Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) filed suit in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia against Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Seema Verma, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in opposition to a discriminatory new federal regulation that will limit the ability of hundreds of thousands of End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients to access affordable, high quality treatment. “ESRD patients successfully fought to get Congress to pass bipartisan legislation that would ensure [...]

Another Dialysis Ballot Initiative Looming in California
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Another Dialysis Ballot Initiative Looming in California

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:12:05+00:00April 28th, 2020|Categories: Article, News, Policy Issues, State Advocacy, Treatment Options|

Last week, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and United Health Workers West (UHW) submitted petition signatures for a potential ballot initiative in November. If the signatures are approved, California voters will vote on measure to dramatically increase the cost of dialysis care. The same group backed a similar measure (Proposition 8) two years ago, which voters widely rejected. DPC opposes the current ballot initiative because it adds burdensome requirements intended to drive up the cost of care for dialysis patients. One provision, in particular, would require a nephrologist to be present at all times at the dialysis facility whenever [...]

Increasing State Policy Maker Outreach to Better Support our Members During COVID-19
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Increasing State Policy Maker Outreach to Better Support our Members During COVID-19

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:12:06+00:00April 21st, 2020|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, News, State Advocacy|Tags: COVID-19|

DPC works tirelessly on behalf of its patient members to elevate their voice and concerns to elected officials about policy issues that impact ESRD patients. As you know, DPC has expanded its state advocacy efforts over the past year and added two staff members who focus on state issues and government relations. So, how does an organization continue this level of engagement during a pandemic when state legislatures are recessed, and social distancing doesn’t allow face-to-face interactions? Moreover, most state governments are focused solely on fighting COVID-19 and not passing bills or expanding regulation unrelated to COVID-19. The COVID-19 crisis [...]

DPC Increases Advocacy Efforts with New and Promoted Team Members
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DPC Increases Advocacy Efforts with New and Promoted Team Members

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:12:07+00:00February 18th, 2020|Categories: Article, Staff, State Advocacy|

Elevating the patient voice with policy makers to protect dialysis patients’ access to quality care remains a core part of what we do at Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC). To help us take our advocacy efforts to new heights, DPC recently promoted one of our team members, added two new staff and opened another office. Rhonda Clark, who has worked with DPC since June of 2016, was promoted to Grassroots Manager. Clark will spearhead DPC's grassroots efforts to help elevate the patient voice of 31 million Americans with Chronic Kidney Disease and the half-million patients with kidney failure. Clark manages DPC's [...]

Court Temporarily Blocks AB 290, Allowing Charitable Assistance Program to Continue Serving Dialysis Patients Pending Trial Outcome
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Court Temporarily Blocks AB 290, Allowing Charitable Assistance Program to Continue Serving Dialysis Patients Pending Trial Outcome

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:32+00:00January 8th, 2020|Categories: Article, Charitable Premium Assistance, Improve Access to Care, Legal Defense, State Advocacy|

DPC works hard to protect patient access to quality care for all dialysis patients, which is often only possible with the support charitable assistance from organizations such as the American Kidney Fund (AKF). Unfortunately, a new law recently enacted in California threatens that access. DPC quickly joined AKF and two patients as plaintiffs in a lawsuit seeking to prevent this newly passed law from going into effect at the start of 2020. In late December, we were pleased that the court recognized our concerns of potential patient harm, granting us a preliminary injunction, which prevents the law from taking effect [...]

DPC Meets with Oregon State Legislatures to Protect Patient Care
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DPC Meets with Oregon State Legislatures to Protect Patient Care

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:32+00:00December 2nd, 2019|Categories: Article, Charitable Premium Assistance, Improve Access to Care, State Advocacy|

DPC staff standing in front of Oregon State Capitol In mid-November, DPC staff traveled to Salem, Oregon, to attend an informational hearing held by the Oregon House Committee on Health Care regarding outpatient dialysis treatment. The hearing focused on issues such as improving and expanding patient access to care while exploring ways in which to lower the cost of health care delivry for dialysis patients. While there, DPC staff also took the opportunity to meet individually with nearly all the Members of the House and Senate Health Committees or their staff. The goal of our meetings was to [...]

DPC Fights for Patient Access in California
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DPC Fights for Patient Access in California

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:33+00:00November 7th, 2019|Categories: Article, Charitable Premium Assistance, Improve Access to Care, Legal Defense, State Advocacy|

DPC is participating in a lawsuit against the state of California after a bill was passed by the Legislature that jeopardizes patient access to charitable assistance. The new law (known as Assembly Bill 290) was signed by California Governor Gavin Newsom last month. Conditions in the new law practically eliminates charitable assistance, which has helped thousands of low-income patients in California pay for their health insurance. The law will take effect January 1, 2020 unless the judge orders the delay DPC is requesting. DPC is fighting similar legislation in other states and will continue to protect dialysis patient access to [...]

Patients and Advocacy Groups File Federal Lawsuit Against the State of California to Overturn AB 290
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Patients and Advocacy Groups File Federal Lawsuit Against the State of California to Overturn AB 290

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:33+00:00November 4th, 2019|Categories: Charitable Premium Assistance, Improve Access to Care, Legal Defense, Press Release, State Advocacy|

ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Two kidney failure patients, together with two patient advocacy groups—the American Kidney Fund (AKF) and Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC)—filed a federal lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against the State of California. The lawsuit, Doe vs. Becerra, asks the court to strike down AB 290, the newly enacted law that will do irreversible harm to dialysis and transplant patients who need charitable assistance to help them pay for health care. Filed against California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Shelley Rouillard, Director of the California Department of Managed Health Care, and Susan Fanelli, Acting Director of the [...]

DPC Advocates for Patient Access to Private Health Insurance
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DPC Advocates for Patient Access to Private Health Insurance

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:13:33+00:00October 30th, 2019|Categories: Article, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, Legal Defense, Private Insurance Coverage, Promote Financial Security|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

DPC filed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit to protect patient access to private health insurance coverage. This is one of a number of lawsuits challenging discrimination by employer health plans in how they pay for dialysis. End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients are protected by the Medicare Secondary Payer Act (MSP), which permits ESRD patients to remain on their private health insurance plans for 30 months before they must enroll in Medicare. To protect this right from being chipped away, Congress prohibited health plans from making any distinctions in how they cover dialysis relative to how other treatments or diseases are [...]

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