Living with kidney failure is hard, but it may become even harder. The Supreme Court issued a ruling that may give private insurers the power to weaken coverage for dialysis in the traditionally covered first 30 months of dialysis. This could push patients off their insurance too quickly and leave them with ridiculously high bills.
I started dialysis treatment when I was 16 years old. Appointments, treatments and medications clouded my life like an incoming storm. Yet, I was lucky enough to not worry about bills since I had my mother’s private insurance. Without it, we would have been left with most of the 20% that Medicare fails to cover. This would cost around $30,000 per year, and that’s not including other necessary doctor’s visits like the cardiologist!
Having private insurance, even if for only those 30 months, relieves the financial stress that so often crushes Americans on dialysis.
Jennifer McClung, Springville, California
