DPC E-Newsletter – August 2024: DPC Comments on Workforce Shortages, NCSL, Indiana Medigap Bill Signing, & PA Spotlight

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August 22, 2024

DPC Comments to CMS Sound Alarm on Workforce Shortages

In our comments responding to Medicare’s annual ESRD Payment Rule, DPC took the government to task over payment updates that lag increases in labor costs and failure to effectively cover new drugs for dialysis patients.

The proposed rule grants a net increase in the base rate of only 0.8% during a year in which wages, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics, rose 4.2%. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission estimates a margin of zero for dialysis facilities in 2024, with many rural and low-volume facilities in the red. This occurs at a time in which a Supreme Court decision has emboldened many employers to gut their insurance coverage for dialysis, further weakening the financing of kidney care.

DPC Advocates for Dialysis Patients at National Conference of State Legislators Summit

State legislators from across the nation convened in Louisville, Kentucky August 5-8 for the 50th National Conference of State Legislators Summit. As part of DPCs ongoing work in the states, DPC was on hand to share our critically important work on access to affordable Medigap coverage. Megan Hashbarger, VP of Government Relations, Yolonda Brisbane, Grassroots Manager, and Elizabeth Lively, Eastern Region Advocacy Director attended the event.

Indiana Governor Signs Affordable Medigap Access Legislation

In a major victory for under-age 65 dialysis patients in Indiana, Governor Eric Holcomb signed SB 215 in a formal bill signing ceremony on August 15, 2024. Attending this ceremonial bill signing was DPC Patient Ambassador Arthur Hill and DPC Eastern Region Advocacy Director Elizabeth Lively. Arthur’s impactful story of his dialysis journey elevated the voices of dialysis patients in Indiana, bringing the struggles of dealing with kidney failure to the forefront and influencing the hearts and minds of legislators to support SB 215.

Kenneth Stephens

Check out our Patient Ambassador Spotlight, where we highlight members who elevate the voices of people with kidney disease.

This month’s Spotlight is on Kenneth Stephens from Shreveport, Louisiana.

At 22, while serving in the Army National Guard, Kenneth discovered that he had a hereditary immune disease called IgA nephropathy, which affected both of his kidneys. Then at 50, Kenneth’s kidneys began to fail, and he began dialysis to remove the waste from his blood since his kidneys no longer could.

With both Kenneth’s father and grandfather also having suffered from ESRD, Kenneth had multiple firsthand experiences of the difficulties of navigating insurance coverage issues while adjusting to a new way of life with dialysis. He knew that he wanted to become an advocate for policies protecting kidney patients and help other families from having to go through the difficulties of losing insurance coverage while already having to make huge life changes.

That is why Kenneth is urging Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Benton, to support the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act (H.R. 6860). This legislation helps the many new dialysis patients who are losing adequate insurance coverage due to a recent Supreme Court decision. Previously, new patients could keep their insurance for the first 30 months of care. Now, insurance companies can effectively push dialysis patients off of their plans and onto Medicare prematurely, and some don’t have a way to cover the remaining 20% of costs.

Patient Ambassadors represent DPC by serving as leaders in their community and local dialysis facilities. Learn more about this critical role and make a difference in the lives of dialysis patients by applying for DPC's Patient Ambassador program.

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DPC E-Newsletter – August 2024: DPC Comments on Workforce Shortages, NCSL, Indiana Medigap Bill Signing, & PA Spotlight

DPC Comments to CMS Sound Alarm on Workforce Shortages

DPC Advocates for Dialysis Patients at National Conference of State Legislators Summit

Indiana Governor Signs Affordable Medigap Access Legislation

Patient Ambassador Spotlight:

Kenneth Stephens

Signup for our E-Newsletter

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