End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), commonly called kidney failure, changed my life. I was first diagnosed with kidney disease in 2014, and my kidneys totally failed in 2020 after a battle with covid-19. I relied on dialysis, the treatment which replaced my kidneys' blood-filtering function, from 2020 until August of 2023 when I received a kidney transplant. As an ESRD patient advocate lucky enough to have received a transplant, I feel obligated to call on Congressman French Hill to help future dialysis patients afford lifesaving dialysis care. He can do so by supporting the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. [...]

Kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), affects Americans of all ages. I was 14 years old when I received my diagnosis. I’ve been on dialysis for many years and have received two transplants in the process, but perhaps more stressful than dialysis has been paying for all my healthcare expenses. I’ve relied on private insurance for much of my ESRD journey. After my second transplant, I had private insurance that proved essential once my transplant failed and I needed to stay in the hospital. I eventually transitioned to Medicare, but did not qualify for Medicaid, and Medicare only pays [...]

At 20 years old, I was diagnosed with end stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure. Two years later, I began receiving dialysis. I was employed upon diagnosis, but lost my job before beginning dialysis. I began dialysis on Medicare. Since Medicare only covers 80%, and my disability income disqualified me from Medicaid, I could not cover the remaining 20%. I went deep into medical debt just to survive. Six years of dialysis, a kidney transplant and 15 years later, I can now say that I am out of debt. I became a nurse, received an MBA, worked hard, and [...]

To Whom It May Concern, Like many patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) – or kidney failure – my diagnosis came as a shock. About a decade ago, I went to my doctor feeling ill. I discovered that my kidneys were failing and I had to get on dialysis, the costly but life-saving treatment which replaces my kidney function. I have been on dialysis ever since. My healthcare journey has been difficult, and many ESRD patients like me deal with financial challenges as a result of the diagnosis, too. I did not have health insurance upon beginning dialysis, so [...]

In the United States, dialysis treatment should be affordable. Unfortunately, inadequate coverage for dialysis often plunges patients into debt. Dialysis should not bankrupt you. In our system, Americans on dialysis almost always wind up using Medicare. Since Medicare only covers 80% of the bill, patients must figure out how to cover the remainder. I was on dialysis for 10 years, and I received a kidney transplant in 2018. I was forced to stop working when I began dialysis, but my mother’s private insurance covered my bill. Private insurance helped me immensely; however, a recent Supreme Court decision may give private [...]

I have chronic kidney disease. Thankfully, my kidneys are still functioning, but they are at risk of failure any time. I became a dialysis patient advocate because I may eventually have to withstand the difficulties that come with dialysis in America. I am fighting for my future and for the future of all dialysis patients in America. I am concerned with a recent Supreme Court decision that allows private insurers to essentially push new dialysis patients off of their private insurance and onto Medicare soon after beginning treatment. This puts the health and well-being of those already fighting a monumental battle at [...]