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Number of dialysis patients statewide: 2,693 2012 Legislative Session: January 18 – late April |
Medicare, a federal program, pays for dialysis for over 80% of dialysis treatments. However, many issues concerning dialysis patients are actually handled at the state level.
Individual states have to provide certain basic services under Medicaid, but they also have flexibility in how they structure their plans and set their reimbursement rates. In addition, some states have the authority to determine the need and location for additional dialysis facilities (this is often referred to as certificate of need). Because dialysis patients’ care can be affected by state officials as well as federal officials, DPC members are becoming more active on state issues—ensuring the patients’ voice is heard locally as well as nationally.
On December 13, 2010 a Federal Judge ruled that Hawaii must provide health plans equal to those offered to Hawaiian Medicaid recipients to low-income legal migrants from Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau. This ruling, if it is not successfully appealed by the state, will restore life-saving health benefits to these legal migrants. Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau are beneficiaries of the Compact of Free Association (COFA), a 1986 pact with the United States granting it the right to use defense sites in exchange for financial assistance and migration rights after it used the Pacific islands for nuclear weapons testing from 1946 to 1958.
Hawaii’s Medicaid program called Med-QUEST has been providing medical coverage to Micronesians, but in 2009 facing budget constraints, decided to instead only provide basic health coverage that did not include payment for dialysis. DPC wrote a letter to the Administrator of Med-QUEST asking the program to continue providing life-sustaining dialysis treatments to Micronesians living in Hawaii. In a win for dialysis patients the state agreed to continue providing dialysis for at least the next two years. With the new ruling all medical services covered under Hawaii Medicaid will also need to be covered for the COFA migrants.
Basic Health Hawaii plan to launch July 1
Pacific Business News, June 14, 2010
Hawaii Dialysis Patient Resources
#17 Western Pacific Renal Network
505 San Marin Dr. Bldg. A, Suite 300
Novato, CA 94945
1-800-232-3773
Quest Hawai'i
Oahu 587-3521
Hilo 933-0339
Kona 327-4970
Maui 243-5780
Kauai 241-3575
Molokai 553-1758
Lanai 565-7102
- Adult Programs: Medicaid Fee-For-Service - Traditional Medicaid Quality health care services to eligible low-income residents of this state.
- Programs for Children: Children with Special Health Needs Program (CSHNP):Serves children who have or may have long-term or chronic health conditions that requires specialized medical care, and their families.
- Medication Programs: The Med-QUEST Division (MQD ) of the Hawaii State Department of Human Services (DHS) has programs that provide medical coverage for low income Hawaii residents.