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In Rejecting Prop 23, California Voters Protect Patient Access to Care

2024-03-29T01:12:01+00:00November 10th, 2020|Categories: Article, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, State Advocacy|

California voters overwhelmingly opposed Proposition 23, a statewide measure that threatened dialysis patient access to care. It was the second ballot measure in California proposed by a labor union in the last two years and the second resounding defeat for the union, and this time by an even wider margin than in 2018. DPC was part of a broad and diverse coalition that included other patient advocacy organizations, dialysis providers and caregivers, and groups representing physicians, nurses, veterans and social justice communities that opposed this harmful measure because it threatened patients’ access to care and would have increased overall health care costs [...]

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DPC Opposes California Prop 23 which Threatens Patient Access to Care

2024-03-29T01:12:01+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 [...]

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Another Dialysis Ballot Initiative Looming in California

2024-03-29T01:12:05+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 [...]

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

2024-03-29T01:12:06+00:00April 21st, 2020|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, News, State Advocacy|Tags: |

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 [...]

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DPC Increases Advocacy Efforts with New and Promoted Team Members

2024-03-29T01:12:07+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 [...]

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

2024-03-29T01:13:32+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 [...]

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DPC Meets with Oregon State Legislatures to Protect Patient Care

2024-03-29T01:13:32+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 [...]

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DPC Fights for Patient Access in California

2024-03-29T01:13:33+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 [...]

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

2024-03-29T01:13:33+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 [...]

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Donor Protection Bill Signed into Law While Care Access Bill Now in the Hands of California Governor

2024-03-29T01:13:33+00:00September 23rd, 2019|Categories: Article, Charitable Premium Assistance, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, State Advocacy, Take Action, Transplant Donor Protection|

As temperatures cool and the California legislature winds down from a flurry of late summer activity, two bills that would impact kidney disease patients recently landed on Governor Newsom’s desk for his signature or veto. We’re thrilled that the bill seeking to increase access to transplants by strengthening protections for living organ donors was just signed into law. This bill passed unanimously in the Senate, after a similar unanimous passage in the Assembly earlier this year. DPC supports this bill because it helps remove barriers for kidney donors. Specifically, it requires employers to extend an employee’s unpaid leave up to [...]

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