After 18 years on dialysis and nearly four years post-transplant, I have seen firsthand what happens when dialysis patients don’t have the insurance protections
they need. As a longtime patient advocate, I’ve watched others struggle through a system that too often pulls the rug out from under people at their most vulnerable.
Historically, there’s been legal protections allowing dialysis patients to stay on their private insurance for 30 months before switching to Medicare. That protection was a lifeline. It gave patients a real window to stabilize, navigate their treatment, and potentially receive a transplant before being forced onto Medicare. Without it, patients and their dependents can face crushing costs, disrupted care, and an impossible financial burden all at the same time.
A recent Supreme Court ruling allows private insurers to push dialysis patients off their coverage before that 30-month period ends. However, the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act would restore that vital protection.
That’s why I urge Senators Mike Crapo and Jim Risch and Representative Russ Fulcher to support this bill. Dialysis patients deserve a fighting chance, not an insurance battle.
John Carter, Cladwell, Idaho
