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 30-days, if needed, so they can fully recover following donor surgery. We thank the governor for signing this bill.
Meanwhile, another bill would end the availability of charitable premium assistance that helps low-income patients cover their medical costs. In addition, this bill would decrease patient access to life-saving dialysis treatment and disrupt the provider network that dialysis patients rely on to receive quality care. This bill narrowly passed after being extensively debated and amended. DPC opposes this bill because it would harm dialysis patients by threatening patient access to quality and affordable care. We urge the governor to veto this bill.
While Governor Newsom contemplates whether to sign the care access bill, one thing is certain: DPC will continue to educate and advocate on behalf of dialysis patients in California and beyond.
