Kidney failure has taught me a thing or two. After 18 years on dialysis and receiving a kidney transplant, my life has changed drastically.
In the initial 30 months of dialysis, dialysis patients have traditionally had the option to keep their private insurance in order to plan for their inevitable transition to Medicare. This planning period is especially important for patients who may no longer receive employer-provided insurance, since dialysis often prevents people from working. Yet, a recent Supreme Court decision allows private insurers to push dialysis patients onto Medicare too early and potentially leaving them with thousands of dollars in out-of-pocket costs.
That is why I call on Congressman Richard Neal and Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey to support the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act, which would ensure dialysis patients maintain stable, reliable coverage in the early days of diagnosis.
Cheri Rodriguez Jones, Holyoke, Massachusetts
