Dialysis Patient Citizens News
Patients and Advocacy Groups File Federal Lawsuit Against the State of California to Overturn AB 290
ORANGE COUNTY, Calif., Two kidney failure patients, together with two patient advocacy groups—the American Kidney Fund (AKF) and Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC)—filed a federal lawsuit today in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California against the State of California. The lawsuit, Doe vs. Becerra, asks the court to strike down AB 290, the newly enacted law that will do irreversible harm to dialysis and transplant patients who need charitable assistance to help them pay for health care. Filed against California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, Shelley Rouillard, Director of [...]
DPC Advocates for Patient Access to Private Health Insurance
DPC filed an amicus brief in support of a lawsuit to protect patient access to private health insurance coverage. This is one of a number of lawsuits challenging discrimination by employer health plans in how they pay for dialysis. End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients are protected by the Medicare Secondary Payer Act (MSP), which permits ESRD patients to remain on their private health insurance plans for 30 months before they must enroll in Medicare. To protect this right from being chipped away, Congress prohibited health plans from making any distinctions [...]
Meet our Newest Board Members and Get Site Visit Tips During November’s Patient Ambassador Call
Join us next month on November 14 at 2:00 pm ET for our upcoming Patient Ambassador call. We will be introducing our newest Board members and discussing strategies for scheduling a facility tour with your lawmaker. Please RSVP to let us know you can attend the call. Check out our accompanying handout for this call. Learn more about our Patient Ambassador program. Call Details are below: Date: Thursday, November 14, 2019 Time: 2:00 PM ET, 1:00 PM CT, 12:00 PM MT, 11:00 AM PT Follow these instructions at the time [...]
Congress Comments on CMS Proposed Rule Regarding ESRD Treatment Choices Model Demonstration
This month Members of Congress reached out to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) about the ETC Model, which is the same rule DPC commented on last month that pertains to increasing the number of home dialysis treatments and kidney transplants. In the letter, lawmakers raised concerns that parallel many of the priorities DPC advocates for in order to improve dialysis patient care. Specifically, the letter addressed: Improving access to care and treatment options Promoting patient choice Advancing care coordination Increasing access to transplant With over [...]
DPC Comments on CMS Proposed ESRD Annual Payment Rule to Improve Dialysis Patient Quality of Life
Each year—typically during the summer—the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) puts out rules for how they are going to pay for dialysis treatment. The rules reflect CMS' latest policies, and organizations have the opportunity to provide feedback about the rules before they go into effect on January 1. DPC provided feedback to CMS regarding their end-stage renal disease (ESRD) Annual Payment rule. DPC's letter addresses the following important topics for improving ESRD patient care: Transitional Add-On Payment Adjustment for New and Innovative Equipment and Supplies [...]
Donor Protection Bill Signed into Law While Care Access Bill Now in the Hands of California Governor
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 [...]
Action Alert – Urge Your Legislators to Help Dialysis Patients by Supporting the Kidney Bill
Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) works hard to promote financial security as financial hardships are common for many people with end-stage renal disease. Congress has introduced a bill that would decrease the financial burden experienced by many dialysis patients and improve their access to care. The bill—known as the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2019 (S. 1676/ H.R. 3912)—would amend current law to ensure ESRD patients under the age of 65 have access to Medigap plans. Without a supplemental insurance like Medigap, Medicare [...]
DPC Advocates for Improved Patient Access to Care with State Lawmakers
Last month, DPC spoke with lawmakers at the National Conference of State Legislatures about the importance of having access to a supplemental insurance like Medigap to help pay for the deductibles and co-pays not covered by Medicare. When Medigap plans were first introduced, Congress only guaranteed issue of these plans to traditional Medicare beneficiaries and therefore did not extend this protection to those who gain Medicare coverage prior to age 65, including people with end-stage renal disease. Currently, only 28 states offer Medigap plans to people on dialysis. [...]
DPC Comments on CMS Proposed Rule Regarding ESRD Treatment Choices Model Demonstration
In response to the Administration's announcement to improve kidney health in America, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) proposed a rule to implement a mandatory Medicare payment model designed to increase the number of home dialysis treatments and kidney transplants, all while reducing Medicare expenditures. The rule—referred to as the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Treatment Choices Model (ETC Model)—would measure clinician and facility performance, as well as the rate of home dialysis and kidney transplants in selected geographic regions. These calculations would result in either [...]
Dialysis Issues Are Heating Up in California
With summer temperatures on the rise, so too are kidney care issues both nationally and in California, where dialysis policies in particular remain hot button topics despite the defeat of Proposition 8 last November by a relatively wide margin. In an effort to protect dialysis patients’ access to quality care, DPC continues to elevate the patient voice with policy makers while also committing even more resources on the ground. In fact, DPC recently established a new advocacy office in Sacramento less than a block from the State Capitol. We [...]
DPC’s 2019 Annual Membership Survey is Live!
Elevate the Voice of Patients with Kidney Disease and Their Caregivers Fellow kidney patients and family members, our 2019 Annual Membership Survey is live, and it will remain open until Friday, August 16. This survey takes your input as a patient with kidney disease and helps to shape our public policy agenda and patient education priorities for the next year. This year we are also surveying family caregivers of dialysis patients. In addition to determining Dialysis Patient Citizen's priorities, we regularly communicate survey results to state and federal level policy [...]
DPC Advances Quality of Care and Patient Choice
DPC supports an adequately funded treatment infrastructure that offers stable and convenient sources of care that rewards performance and incentivizes quality outcomes. In addition, we are committed to ensuring access to all forms of treatment for end-stage renal disease, including transplantation. As a result, we work closely with others within the renal community to advocate for adequate policy solutions that encourage organ donation and protect patients' health. In order for patients to make educated decisions about their care, they need transparency and accountability. A bill that was introduced [...]
The Administration’s Plan to Improve Quality of Life and Patient Choice for Dialysis Patients
President Donald J. Trump thanks DPC Board Member Nancy Scott prior to signing an Executive Order on Advancing American Kidney Health Wednesday, July 10, 2019, at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington, D.C. (Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead) "I did dialysis. I did not let it do me." Those powerful words were shared by DPC Board Member Nancy Scott shortly before President Trump signed an Executive Order centered around improving kidney health in America on July 10, 2019. Scott [...]
Pictures for DPC’s 2019 Advocacy Day Are Here!
Advocates spent a day of training getting up to speed on the latest legislation impacting the kidney community, which included presentations by Representative Donald Payne Jr. and DPC CEO Hrant Jamgochian. A rooftop reception followed where advocates strategized about the next day's meetings on Capitol Hill. The event culminated with over 100 meetings with lawmakers and their legislative staff about improving dialysis patient care. Below are the photos from DPC's Advocacy Day: If you are interested in making a difference in your community by elevating the voice [...]
Congressman Donald Payne Jr. Advocates for Dialysis Patients
Congressman Donald Payne Jr. is a Representative for New Jersey's 10th congressional district. He has end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and receives in-center dialysis treatment multiple times a week. Payne spoke with advocates during DPC's 2019 Annual Fly-In about his experience with dialysis and the efforts he is taking to elevate the patient voice. Payne's incidence with kidney failure is similar to the stories shared by thousands of people on dialysis. The progression of his diabetes led to the decline in his kidney function, and Payne speaks openly about [...]
DPC Rallies Over 60 Advocates on Capitol Hill
Activists from across the country gathered on Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf of dialysis patients at DPC's Annual Advocacy Day on June 11, 1019. Advocates represented 26 different states and had over 100 meetings with Members of Congress and their legislative staff. The focus of the Hill discussions centered around preserving access to Charitable Assistance and ensuring access to Medigap for all dialysis patients. Charitable Assistance Charitable Assistance is financial assistance a patient may receive from certain organizations to help with medical bills or premium payments. One [...]
Advocacy Day Insights and Action Alerts During June’s Patient Ambassador Call
Join us next month on June 20th at 2:00 pm ET for our upcoming Patient Ambassador call. We will have special guest speakers to discuss the inside scoop learned during DPC's fly-in and the actions you can take to help kidney patients. Please RSVP to let us know you can attend the call. Learn more about our Patient Ambassador program. Call Details are below: Date: Thursday, June 20, 2019 Time: 2:00 PM ET, 1:00 PM CT, 12:00 PM MT, 11:00 AM PT Follow these instructions at the time of the call: [...]
DPC Advocates for New Treatment Research and Innovations
Dialysis Patient Citizens continues to work hard advocating to increase quality of care for patients. We are supporting a house bill that encourages research and innovations to provide patients with hope and new treatment options. This is an important issue because there has been little progress made in treatment for dialysis patients when compared to other diseases. In addition, advances in dialysis care could astronomically improve the lives of millions of Americans with kidney disease. We will continue to work hard to improve the dialysis patient quality of life [...]
How Medicare Can Improve Dialysis Patient Quality of Life
Dialysis Patient Citizens helps patients by working to improve access to care, promote financial security, increase quality of care and advance patient choice. Two leading members of the US Senate Committee on Finance, which oversees the Medicare program, recently raised concerns to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on issues impacting the care of dialysis patients. Many of these items align with our priorities to improve the quality of life for patients with end-stage renal disease. Emphasis was placed on the following dialysis-care issues: better sustainability for new treatment [...]
DPC’s Letter to the California Assembly About Quality Ratings
Assembly Member Jim Wood Chair Committee on Health State Capitol, Room 6005 Sacramento, CA 95814 Assembly Member Chad Mayes Vice Chair Committee on Health State Capitol, Room 6005 Sacramento, CA 95814 Re: Support for AB 1448 Dear Chairman Wood and Vice Chairman Mayes: With 32,000 dialysis patient members, over 4,000 of whom reside in California, Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) is the nation’s largest patient-led organization representing individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). On behalf of California’s 70,000 ESRD patients and the [...]