Individuals who receive an organ transplant must take immunosuppressant drugs to reduce the likelihood their body will reject the transplanted organ. Failure to take this medication after a kidney transplant significantly increases the risk of rejection and results in the need for an individual to receive dialysis to continue living.

Currently the Medicare End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program pays the majority of dialysis and transplantation costs for eligible ESRD patients, but only covers immunosuppressant drugs for thirty-six months following a transplant. With the average annual cost averaging $19,000 a year, patients must find a way to pay for their medications. State and pharmaceutical assistant programs offer some relief, but are not available to all patients. Patients who are unable to pay for the medications are often forced to discontinue their use, resulting in kidney rejection and a return to the Medicare covered dialysis treatments at an annual cost of more than $77,500 per patient. Many patients find these high medication costs for a barrier to seeking transplantation as an option.

Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) believes that all ESRD transplant recipients should receive immunosuppressant drugs under Medicare Part B for the life of their transplant, not just the first thirty-six months. Extending the current benefit beyond thirty-six months would result in a net savings to Medicare, provide transplantation as an affordable option to more patients, and ensure that those individuals in whom Medicare invested can continue to receive the necessary drugs to reduce their chance of rejection.