To the editor:
As someone who has been on dialysis for 23 years, educating other patients and advocating for them gives my job meaning. I get to assist people who have gone through the same challenges I have and help people better understand exactly what life on dialysis is like.
Through my work, I’ve seen how many patients struggle with high costs. A lot of patients rely on Medicare, but can have considerable out-of-pocket costs when it doesn’t cover what they need.
This is especially true for patients under 65, who often don’t receive Medigap coverage for those costs that Medicare doesn’t already cover.
Lawmakers can help to fix this by passing the Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act. It would extend Medigap coverage to dialysis patients under 65, helping to make lifesaving care more affordable.
As Congress continues work on this bill, I hope that Massachusetts’ own U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton and U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey give the bill their support.
I live an active life with my family, two teenage sons and a brand new puppy, and I want to help make sure other dialysis patients can, too. Congress can make that goal easier to reach with this bill.
Vanessa Evans, Marblehead, Massachusetts
