Dialysis Patient Citizens News
National Kidney Month Reminds Us of the Possibilities of Life on Dialysis
The coming March marks the start of National Kidney Month, a time to promote kidney health, raise awareness of the obstacles facing patients, and advocate for policies that help them as they navigate life with kidney disease. However, National Kidney Month also means so much more. It is an opportunity to spread awareness of the fact that being on dialysis doesn’t mean having to put your life on hold. You can still pursue a career and do the things you love most, whether that’s traveling, camping, or [...]
2023 State Advocacy Kick-Off
It’s been a busy start in 2023 for DPC’s state advocacy efforts. Bills impacting dialysis patients are being introduced in multiple state legislatures and moving quickly through the legislative process. Legislation to expand Medigap access has already been introduced in Hawaii, Indiana, Kentucky, Nebraska, and Virginia. Improving Medigap access is a top policy priority for DPC, and we are pleased that multiple states are considering how they can expand access to Medigap plans, particularly in states that have limited or no access to Medigap for the under-age 65 [...]
Congressional Update
The 118th Congress was sworn in earlier this month. It started off in historic fashion with a protracted fight on the House floor to elect a Speaker of the House, which Kevin McCarthy ultimately achieved on the 15th ballot. With Republicans controlling the House, and Democrats holding the White House and an expanded margin in the Senate, Congress will have to bridge the partisan gap to ensure the government remains open and in possession of its full faith and credit. Healthcare will of course be a major focus [...]
No Escaping Kidney Disease
To the Editor: Life with kidney disease is all I’ve ever known. I was born with this hidden illness and started receiving dialysis treatments at just 25 years old. Over the years, I’ve experienced the various hurdles patients face both as a kidney patient and as someone who is legally blind. Before my kidney transplant in 2018, I did in-center dialysis. As someone who is visually impaired, driving to and from the center wasn’t an option, so I relied on other forms of transportation, which became costly. [...]
Welcome to the Board – Eugene Blankenship
Eugene Blankenship has witnessed the struggles dialysis patients deal with for his entire life. Kidney disease runs in his family, and he lost both his father and grandfather to complications from kidney disease. Eugene was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease himself while on a camping trip in 2003. Since then, he has devoted himself to helping others affected by kidney disease, first as a DPC patient advocate and now as a member of our Board of Directors. Most patients have limited access to their representatives in Congress, [...]
Welcome to the Board – Terry Peeler
Terry Peeler has devoted his life to public service, working for 25 years as a firefighter paramedic before kidney disease forced him to retire in October 2016. During his career in public service, Terry was appointed as the first African American full-time fire chief and paramedic in Sumter County, Alabama in 2000. He has also held roles as both Sumter County Coroner and Sumter County Sheriff. Having been used to serving others, the adjustment to needing assistance in his own care was a difficult shift. He now [...]
Welcome to the Board – Steve Ahern
Steve has been a dialysis patient for over six years, having battled through heart stents and two bouts of lung cancer. He is honored to be a member of our board, and eager to continue focusing his efforts on making life for dialysis patients as fulfilling as possible. Steve’s battle with kidney disease took many unexpected turns but taught him the importance of perseverance and keeping a positive attitude in difficult times. In 2016 Steve became eligible for a transplant, thinking he’d receive a new kidney within the [...]
Welcome to the Board – Raymond Scott
Raymond has been battling kidney failure for 22 years, and he credits the last eight of those to his home hemodialysis treatments. Raymond has a distinguished career as a dialysis and kidney disease advocate. Since his kidneys failed him at age 29, he has dedicated his life to helping others with kidney disease. In 2016 he was a Celebrity Star Dancer with the National Kidney Foundation’s Arizona Dancing With The Stars. Along with his beloved wife, Analyn, Raymond Co-founded 1in9 Charities, Inc, a nonprofit organization committed to creating [...]
Blankenship: Kidney Patients Need Better Access to Coverage
Learning you have kidney disease can be overwhelming, something I found out myself while camping in 2003. It’s hard for patients to get the information they need about living with kidney disease, and for many patients the costs of treatment are excessive. Starting on dialysis brought with it a lot of changes, one of them being that I had to cut back on my working hours. Kidney disease as a whole can make a person weak, and going through dialysis treatments for several hours multiple times a [...]
Protect Dialysis Patients’ Coverage
I have been on dialysis treatments for almost 13 years due to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Kidney disease can be a lot to handle with frequent dialysis treatments, doctor's appointments, and medications. On top of the medical responsibilities, I must ensure I have the proper insurance coverage. Initially after my diagnosis, I was fortunate to be covered by my wife’s employer-sponsored insurance. However, after 30 months, I had to switch to Medicare as my primary coverage, with my wife’s plan as my secondary coverage. This was often [...]
Happy Thanksgiving from DPC Board, Staff, and Volunteers!
DPC would like to wish our many patient advocates, family, friends, and healthcare partners a happy Thanksgiving. We are grateful for all of these hard-working individuals and for their dedication to the kidney community as well as their effort to help elevate the patient voice. This year, our patient advocates helped to defeat Proposition 29 in California; they continued to build momentum for Medigap expansion; and they are fighting hard to protect patient choice and access to private health insurance coverage. Here are just a few of [...]
Dialysis patients across America are counting on Congress
In October 2016, kidney disease forced me to start dialysis and retire from my career as a firefighter paramedic. This disease runs in my family, with my brother and mother also suffering. I currently require dialysis treatment three times a week and have to travel 72 miles round trip to the center for five-hour-long treatments. Dialysis costs me both time and money. Transporting myself to the center is costly, but it is my only out-of-pocket expense. My treatments are completely covered through both my private insurance and [...]
Texas dialysis patients under 65 need help getting coverage
I've had a progressive kidney disease for several years and my doctor eventually referred me to a nephrologist to help manage my kidney health. Fifteen months ago I needed to start dialysis and I am fortunate because the treatments have gone very well. I’ve largely been able to get the coverage I need through Medicare and my supplemental Medigap coverage which pays for what Medicare won’t, outside of three medications that Medicare Part B and Part D doesn’t cover.Sadly, for many patients under 65 this isn’t the [...]
CA Dialysis Patients Need Lawmakers’ Help
Finding out I needed to start dialysis two years ago was tough to accept. I’d always been an athlete, so I felt like this wasn’t something I’d have to face. But after low kidney counts for more than 5 years, I had to start treatments. Beyond difficult treatments, the financial burden they come with is enormous. I’m fortunate, however, to have a job at Life Alert Emergency Response that lets me tailor my schedule so I can stay employed and still receive health coverage. However, even between [...]
Dialysis patients need better insurance coverage
Editor: I have seen firsthand the hardships kidney patients face through both my daughter’s and father’s diagnoses. My daughter’s kidneys failed at age 23, and for over two decades, I was her caregiver while she was in and out of the hospitals and on dialysis. This wasn’t an easy task, but thankfully she received a kidney transplant almost two years ago. Kidney disease is not only hard on the body and makes it hard to live a normal life while tending to doctor’s appointments, dialysis treatments, and [...]
A Huge Thank You to Our Tireless Patient Advocates
DPC would like to take a moment to thank our tireless group of Members and Patient Ambassadors for continuing to share their personal stories on the importance of supporting H.R. 8594/S. 4750 – The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. From drafting Letters to the Editor to recording video interviews, their words really highlight the need to allow kidney patients to decide which health insurance will best serve them and preserve patient choice. Allowing ESRD patients to stay on their private insurance plan for up to 30 months [...]
Time is running out: Dialysis patients need Congress to act
“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” are the inalienable rights which our government was created to secure. Thomas Jefferson famously penned these words when authoring the Declaration of Independence, but nearly 250 years later, those rights are at risk for dialysis patients thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling. This June, in Marietta Memorial Hospital Employee Health Benefit Plan v. DaVita Inc., the high court sided with a private insurer that was being sued for limiting its coverage of dialysis to 30 treatments. The court ruled the plan [...]
Open Enrollment Period – a good time to review your health insurance coverage
Medicare Open Enrollment began October 15 — and will remain open through December 7, 2022. Medicare’s Open Enrollment period gives people with Medicare the opportunity to make changes to their health plan or prescription drug plan, pick a Medicare Advantage plan, or return to Original Medicare (also referred to as Medicare Part A and Part B). Medicare plans can change their offerings and costs every year, and individuals’ health needs can change from year-to-year, too. Now is the time for people with Medicare to review their coverage options [...]
Send lifeline to kidney dialysis patients
At 21, I was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease, which meant my kidneys were failing. Until my diagnosis, I was completely healthy, in the middle of nursing school and working full time. The onset of this disease was the beginning of a series of hospitalizations, surgeries and dialysis treatments. I began dialysis while I waited for my kidney transplant. I needed these treatments not only to live, but so I could finish nursing school and eventually return to full-time work. One of the biggest challenges beyond my [...]
Equal Justice Remains Elusive for Kidney Patients. Congress Can Help.
Four simple words sit above the entrance to the Supreme Court: “Equal Justice Under Law.” That short phrase, though, carries immense weight. It is a promise to the American people that we will receive fair treatment in our justice system, and serves as a principle to guide people in power. For dialysis patients – who already face massive health disparities – it’s a promise that might go unfulfilled following a Supreme Court decision earlier this year that could open the door for health insurance companies to discriminate against them. [...]