To the Editor:
Chances are you know someone with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or kidney failure. ESRD affects people of all ages and backgrounds. My kidneys failed despite the fact that I had a healthy lifestyle, and it was a hard pill to swallow.
The only two treatments available for kidney failure are transplants — which are scarce — and dialysis, the treatment that removes extra fluid and waste products from your blood when your kidneys can’t. I received dialysis treatment for seven years before receiving a transplant in 2023.
Dialysis is an expensive treatment. Thankfully, my Congressman, Paul Tonko, helped me enroll in Medicare and Medicaid, which took care of outstanding bills from the beginning of my treatment.
Those who don’t qualify for Medicaid often rely on private insurance to cover dialysis costs. Yet, a recent United States Supreme Court ruling puts decades-long patient protections at risk, which could open the door for private insurers to force new dialysis patients off of their plans before they’re ready.
ESRD patients deserve better. Luckily, the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act would fix this so patients can keep their private insurance for the first 30 months of care, which is what Congress always intended. I’m sure my friend Congressman Paul Tonko will support the bill and protect dialysis patients who depend on private insurance as a lifeline.
Albert Brisbane, Rensselaer, New York
