While most dialysis patients are entitled to Medicare, federal law also gives them the right to maintain their private, employer coverage for up to 30 months. This option is important to all kidney patients, because it incentivizes health plans to detect and treat Chronic Kidney Disease, take measures to preserve patients’ kidney function for as long as possible, and assure a safe, stable transition to ESRD when kidney failure becomes inevitable. Dialysis patients may wish to maintain their private insurance to continue dental or dependent coverage that are unavailable in Medicare, or to take advantage of lower cost-sharing.
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision threatens access to private coverage by permitting health plans to carve off dialysis benefits from their networks, and impose restrictive terms on patients. DPC is fighting for legislation to restore the protections Congress guaranteed 40 years ago.
Patient Stories
Our patient advocates have firsthand experience of how crucial private insurance can be. Check out some of their stories and hear why we need Congress to restore protections for dialysis patients.
Please Let Me Choose My Health Coverage.
Related Information
Letter: Dialysis patients deserve better
I remember being diagnosed with kidney disease in 2012 and beginning peritoneal dialysis in 2014. It was an undoubtedly difficult period in my life. Fortunately, I could continue working full time, which allowed me [...]
Preserve health protections
To the editor: I’ve had kidney troubles ever since I was born. It’s been exhausting managing my health care needs. It became even harder when I began dialysis, the only treatment for kidney failure [...]
Private Insurance for Dialysis Care Introduced in the Senate
Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) recently introduced The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act (S. 5018), which is the Senate companion to H.R. 6860 introduced earlier this year. [...]
Letter: Rep. Peters and Other Leaders Must Support Legislation Protecting Dialysis Patients
Like over 91,000 Californians, my father suffers from end stage renal disease — kidney failure, or ESRD. My father has been receiving dialysis, the only treatment for ESRD besides a kidney transplant, for over 18 years. [...]
A letter to the editor
One day, I began feeling very tired and felt short-of-breath. Next thing I knew, I awoke in the hospital and received the diagnosis of End Stage Renal Disease, or kidney failure. I immediately needed [...]
Congress: Please stand up for Minnesotans on dialysis
When I was serving as my father’s caregiver through his dialysis treatments, I was struck by how difficult it can be to navigate the health insurance landscape. I was constantly on the phone with [...]
Letter: ‘Requesting legislative action’
I urge U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) to support the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. This legislation allows new dialysis patients to keep their private insurance, a critical financial lifeline, for their initial [...]
Americans should never be punished for having a debilitating illness
Americans should never be punished for having a debilitating illness. Unfortunately, that’s what happens to people like me with illnesses such as End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), otherwise known as kidney failure. ESRD changed [...]
Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act needs NJ delegation’s support
For most patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, their diagnosis comes as a shock. One day, I was suddenly rushed to the ER and received the shocking diagnosis. I suddenly [...]
Federal bill critical for dialysis patients
COVID-19 changed the lives of all Americans. For me, a COVID-19 infection led to kidney failure. When the doctor diagnosed me with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), I could not believe it. Suddenly, I [...]
Supreme Court ruling puts decades-long patient protections at risk
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 [...]
Rep. Houchin needs to support act to help dialysis patients in Indiana
Dialysis patients and families of the 9th Congressional District need your help. In 2022, the Supreme Court decided that group health plans do not violate the Medicare Secondary Payer Plan (MSP) law by changing [...]
Restore the Protections
Editor, I’ve been on dialysis for more than 20 years, and I, like many other patients, struggle to afford the treatments that keep me alive. America’s health insurance system is supposed to give all [...]
Letter to the Editor
My daughter Dianne passed away at the age of 45 due to complications related to kidney failure, or End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Anyone who has lost a child knows the indescribable loss I [...]
Letter: Supreme Court ruling harms dialysis patients
Dear Editor: Kidney failure, known as end stage renal disease (ESRD), brought many difficulties to my life. I had high blood pressure and diabetes, which ultimately caused my kidneys to fail. My kidney disease [...]
Letter to the editor: Let dialysis patients keep their insurance
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 [...]
Congress must help new dialysis patients
Kidney failure changes patients’ lives. I see patients battle kidney failure every day as a social worker at a dialysis clinic where they receive life-saving treatment. Unfortunately, physical hardships are only the beginning. As [...]
I am a veteran with kidney disease. Dialysis patients need support from Congress
At 22, while serving in the Army National Guard, I discovered I had a hereditary immune disease called IgA nephropathy affecting my kidneys. When I turned 50, my kidneys finally began to fail. I [...]
Letter to the editor: Restore protections for dialysis patients
My father’s battle with end-stage renal disease changed our family’s life. I cared for him as he endured dialysis for two years, showing immense courage. He received two transplants, including one of my kidneys, [...]
Help dialysis patients
Dear Editor: Kidney failure runs in my family, so I knew that my chances of experiencing kidney failure were high. I received the heartbreaking and scary diagnosis in 2004 and soon after I began [...]
Rep. Pallone: Help NJ’s dialysis patients
Being diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease, ESRD, or kidney failure, changed my life. Suddenly, I needed intravenous treatment three times per week to survive. Like so many ESRD patients, I had to uproot [...]
Dialysis needs
After I received a kidney transplant, I wrote a letter to the family of my donor expressing my immense gratitude. My journey with end stage renal disease took a toll, and the transplant marked [...]
Kidney patients need protections restored
I was 14 when my father was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease, or kidney failure. I witnessed the suffering, anxiety, and helplessness the disease brought upon my family. I also witnessed the financial [...]
DPC’s 2024 Advocacy Day
Earlier this month, DPC hosted our annual Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. where we bring together patients, family members, and care givers to meet with their Members of Congress to elevate the patient story [...]
Buchanan Can Help Dialysis Patients
I have kidney failure, and I need dialysis to survive. Dialysis is a treatment which removes excess water and toxins from my blood because my kidneys do not function naturally anymore. It has been [...]
Help dialysis patients
End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), commonly called kidney failure, changed my life. I was first diagnosed with kidney disease in 2014, and my kidneys totally failed in 2020 after a battle with covid-19. I [...]
Support the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act
Kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), affects Americans of all ages. I was 14 years old when I received my diagnosis. I’ve been on dialysis for many years and have received two transplants [...]
Pass Restore in ‘24
Becky's daughter Dianne relied heavily on her insurance coverage that paid to treat all of her complications and extended her time with her two children. Becky's story is why Congressman Mike Kelly is fighting for [...]
Rep. Van Drew, please help dialysis patients
At 20 years old, I was diagnosed with end stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure. Two years later, I began receiving dialysis. I was employed upon diagnosis, but lost my job before beginning [...]
Support the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act
To Whom It May Concern, Like many patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) – or kidney failure – my diagnosis came as a shock. About a decade ago, I went to my doctor [...]
Letter: Congress needs to act to restore protections for dialysis patients
In the United States, dialysis treatment should be affordable. Unfortunately, inadequate coverage for dialysis often plunges patients into debt. Dialysis should not bankrupt you. In our system, Americans on dialysis almost always wind up [...]
Congress must not leave kidney patients behind
I have chronic kidney disease. Thankfully, my kidneys are still functioning, but they are at risk of failure any time. I became a dialysis patient advocate because I may eventually have to withstand the [...]
Letter: Dialysis debt a burden; Congress must act
We Americans with kidney failure must accept the fact that we will be in medical debt for the rest of our lives. To pay for dialysis treatment, some patients keep working and use private [...]
U.S. Rep. Grothman: Save Wisconsin dialysis patients
Kidney failure changed the course of my life. I began dialysis, the exhausting treatment kidney failure patients need to survive, three months pregnant with my son. I received a kidney transplant, which ultimately failed, [...]
Abilene Reflector-Chronicle: Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor, When I served as my grandfather's caregiver during his dialysis treatments, the most frustrating challenge was the difficulty we faced dealing with Medicare. Slow payments and limited access to services were all [...]
DPC Advocates Make Their Voices Heard!
DPC’s patient advocates are working hard to make their voices heard through media outreach, by sharing their stories through op-eds and letters to the editor. Coast to coast, patients are letting their local legislators know [...]
Americans on dialysis need Congress’ help
When I began dialysis, I took advantage of Medicare, private insurance and charity funding to pay for my treatment. However, I often speak to other patients who do not have access to supplemental insurance [...]
Letters: Dialysis patients need protections
Dialysis patients often open the mail to find thousands of dollars worth of medical bills they can’t afford. Without the proper insurance, affording dialysis treatment is all but impossible. I began dialysis back in [...]
Letter to the Editor: Dialysis patients need some help
Dear Editor: How would you feel if your life-saving medical treatment was out of reach? Well, a recent Supreme Court decision allows private insurance companies to put new dialysis patients in a difficult position [...]
Restore hope to dialysis patients
Last year, I wrote to you about my journey as a kidney patient after my diagnosis in 2017 and I’m writing to you again to call on Congresswoman Stephanie Bice to protect kidney patients [...]
Help dialysis patients
Americans should not have to fight tooth and nail to pay for lifesaving health care. Yet, this is an unfortunate reality for dialysis patients in America. When I began dialysis, I lost my private [...]
Action Alert – Protect ESRD Patient Access to Private Coverage
In December, The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act (H.R. 6860) was introduced by Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Neal Dunn, MD (R-FL), Danny Davis (D-IL), John Joyce, MD (R-PA) and Raul Ruiz, [...]
Congress: Prevent Dialysis Patients’ Unnecessary Suffering
Kidney failure touches the lives of millions of Americans. Dialysis and transplants are the only treatments for this life-altering disease. I have been on dialysis for 10 years, which has been a physical and [...]
Letter: Dialysis patients need Congress’ help
As a leader in the Kidney Foundation of Central Pennsylvania, I see how much financial concerns weigh on the hearts of kidney patients. People become overwhelmed by the out-of-pocket costs of dialysis treatment, and [...]
Letter: Protect NH dialysis patients
Protect dialysis access To the Editor: All dialysis patients are required to have Medicare as their primary insurer after 30 months from when they start dialysis, but the law has always allowed us to [...]
Letter: Give dialysis patients a hand
Dear editor, My father, Bill Robinson, passed away 10 years ago from complications related to End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Yet, he lived a relatively full, healthy and active life. Dialysis allowed him to [...]
Letter: Help dialysis patients
When you start dialysis, which I was on for three years, there is a lot of uncertainty and fear. However, worrying about immediately changing health insurance plans after diagnosis hasn’t typically been a problem [...]
Protect insurance for dialysis
The life of a dialysis patient is one of constant uncertainty. I could not continue working when I started dialysis, as is the case for many other patients. Thankfully, my spouse’s private insurance helped [...]
Dialysis patients should not be singled out
Kidney failure is not a death sentence. With the right healthcare, Americans on dialysis can live energetic, productive lives. Unfortunately, paying for dialysis in America has become a Herculean task. Medicare only covers 80%, [...]
Protect dialysis patients from shocking bills
Last year I wrote to you about the shocking moment when my young daughter was diagnosed with kidney failure. Thankfully, I was able to be her part-time caregiver with the help of our primary [...]
Letter: dialysis funding
When your kidneys fail, dialysis is your hope for a better future. But affording dialysis can be a tricky ordeal because Medicare, which all dialysis patients are required to have as their primary provider [...]
Give dialysis patients time to plan
Kidney failure changed my life. I’ve learned a thing or two after spending 18 years on dialysis, receiving a kidney transplant, and spending years as an advocate for my fellow patients. In the initial [...]
Letter: Congress must help dialysis patients
Since coming to Congress last year, Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez has worked across party lines to help our community. I hope she’ll do so again by working to ensure that Washington’s kidney disease patients, [...]
Letter: We Must Protect Dialysis Patients
Those with a sudden and serious illness that requires immediate medical attention are called “crash” patients. My husband Raymond was a crash patient when he was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease, or kidney [...]
Dialysis Patient Citizens Applauds New Legislation Restoring Protections for Dialysis Patients
WASHINGTON, D.C. (December 20, 2023) -- Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC), the leading advocacy organization for dialysis patients nationwide, today released the following statement applauding the introduction of the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act [...]
Idaho Statesman: Dialysis
At the young age of 25 years old, I had to accept the fact that I would need dialysis treatment to survive. Like many Americans with kidney failure, I was too sick to continue [...]
Congress Must Help Kidney Patients
My wife was diagnosed with kidney failure in January of 2022. I was her primary caregiver until she passed away in June of this year. Now, I dedicate my time advocating for Americans with [...]
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, [...]
Medicare Must Increase Access to Improvements in Dialysis Care
For people who live with a chronic illness, one of the most powerful words in the English language is hope. As a more than 20-year dialysis patient with end-stage renal disease, otherwise known as [...]
Local View: Bridging the Medigap
Published in the Lincoln Journal Star We hear endless stories in the news about challenges in our health care system, but oftentimes the effects feel abstract. As someone who has dedicated their career to [...]
Nebraska resident rallies for LB-32
NEBRASKA -- Fifteen states do not require insurers to offer Medigap policies to people under 65 who are already enrolled through Medicare according to AARP. Medigap helps patients to afford deductibles and other out-of-pocket [...]
I Received a Kidney Transplant, but Concerns about Coverage Remain
Ruben Garcia, Webster, Texas After years on dialysis, I was fortunate to receive a kidney transplant. While I am grateful to be off dialysis, its emotional and financial burdens will take years to [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
DPC Continues Outreach to Protect Patients’ Rights
DPC Members and Patient Ambassadors continue advocacy on H.R. 8594/S. 4750 - The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act, which would codify into law the right for dialysis patients to stay on their private insurance [...]
Congress needs to protect kidney patients following Supreme Court decision
I recently joined other dialysis patients in meetings with Congress to discuss the challenges we face. One of the key topics we covered was how hard it is for patients to get access to [...]
Action Alert – Protect ESRD Patient Access to Private Coverage
Ask your representative to co-sponsor H.R. 8594/S. 4750, legislation that would protect ESRD patients by allowing them to maintain private, employer health coverage up to 30 months after diagnosis with kidney failure. A recent Supreme Court ruling now [...]
Dialysis patients counting on Congress
It’s quite the experience being a kidney patient on dialysis. There’s always new information to monitor and communication to track between various medical providers, dialysis centers, and health insurance entities. It’s important for patients [...]
Dialysis Patient Citizens Applauds New Legislation Prohibiting Discrimination Against Dialysis Patients
WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 1, 2022) -- Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) today released the following statement applauding the introduction of H.R. 8594 by Representatives Yvette Clarke (D-NY-9), Buddy Carter (R-GA-1), Jodey Arrington, (R-TX-19), and Danny [...]
Supreme Court Erases Kidney Patients’ Insurance Protections
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling has nullified the law that protects dialysis patients from discrimination by insurers, threatening the system of financing kidney care that has stood for 40 years. The Court ruled that [...]
Dialysis Patient Citizens Statement Following Supreme Court Decision in Marietta Memorial Hospital v. Davita
WASHINGTON, D.C., (June 21, 2022) -- Following the United States Supreme Court decision in the case of Marietta Memorial Hospital v. Davita, Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) Board of Directors President Andrew Conkling issued the [...]
DPC Files Amicus Brief in Supreme Court Case
DPC filed a “friend of the court” brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Marietta Memorial Hospital v. DaVita. The case involves a dialysis patient whose employer-sponsored health insurance plan tied reimbursements for [...]
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 [...]
DPC Supports Improved Access to Private Insurance for Patients
Currently, dialysis patients are restricted to 30 months on private insurance coverage before having to go into Medicare. The House of Representatives recently proposed extending this length of time by three months, which is [...]
DPC Complaint to OFM re: Washington State Insurance Plans
Re: Violations of the Medicare Secondary Payer Statute, 42 U.S.C. § 1395y(b), by Washington State Health Insurance Plans Dear Ms. Parker and Ms. Dotzel: We write to bring to your attention the fact that at [...]
DPC Complaint to Department of Labor re: Insurance Plan Discrimination
The Honorable Phyllis C. Borzi Assistant Secretary Employee Benefits Security Administration United States Department of Labor 200 Constitution Ave NW Washington, DC 20210 Re: Violations of Part 7 of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act [...]
Re: Discrimination Against End-Stage Renal Disease Patients by Health Net
Janice Rocco California Department of Insurance 300 Capitol Mall Suite 1700 Sacramento, CA 95814 Mary Watanabe Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) 980 9th Street, Suite 500 Sacramento, CA 95814 Re: Discrimination against end-stage [...]
DPC Urges Department of Insurance to Protect Dialysis Patient Access in Oregon
Ms. Laura Cali, Insurance Commissioner Department of Consumer & Business Services Insurance Division PO Box 14480 Salem, Oregon 97309-0405 Re: Discrimination against end-stage renal disease patients by Regence health plan Dear Commissioner Cali: With 28,000 [...]
