Dialysis Patient Citizens News
Support S.1552/H.R. 4583 – The Living Donor Protection Act
This week, The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) will be marking up S. 1552 – The Living Donor Protection Act introduced by Senators Tom Cotton (R‑AR) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D‑NY). This bill, and its’ House companion bill H.R. 4583, provides essential protections for living kidney donors, including job security, protection from insurance discrimination, and the financial burdens associated with transplantation. Specifically, The Living Donor Protection Act would: Prohibit life, disability, and long-term care insurance companies from denying or limiting coverage and from charging higher premiums for living [...]
Mother urges Congress to protect access to kidney care
My daughter, Diana, passed away at 45 due to complications from kidney failure. Diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 6, she later showed signs of kidney disease and needed dialysis for more than two years. Diana received two kidney transplants. The first, in 2008, was a gift from her aunt. We were fortunate that the transplant costs were covered. Without that support, too many living donor transplants are denied because of insurance barriers. In 2018, Diana was placed on the transplant list, and just one week [...]
One Week Left to Apply – 2026 Advocacy Day
Applications for DPC’s 2026 Advocacy Day are due next Friday, January 30th! Be sure to submit your application for a chance to come to Washington, D.C., June 29 – 30, 2026, and speak with your members of Congress about important pieces of legislation that will help improve the lives of kidney patients. Participants will be selected based on the quality of their application, legislative priorities, and previous involvement in DPC's advocacy efforts. We will hold a training session ahead of our advocacy day for those participating to explain [...]
Open Enrollment Deadlines for Texas Dialysis Patients
In a major victory for under age 65 Texans living on dialysis, House Bill 2516 became law in 2025. HB 2516 provides access for under-age 65 dialysis patients to purchase affordable Medigap insurance plans A, B and D at the same premium rate as those who are age 65. The remaining Medigap lettered plans are available at 200% of the age 65 premium. This legislation impacts not only individuals who have just started dialysis and enrolled in Medicare Part B, but it also includes a one-time, 6-month open enrollment [...]
Urge Your Members of Congress to Cosponsor H.R. 2199/S. 1173 – The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act
Last year, The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act 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, MD (D-CA) as well as Senators Bill Cassidy MD (R-LA), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Kevin Cramer (R-ND), and Martin Heinrich (D-NM). This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would restore protections for ESRD patients and allow them to stay on the insurance coverage of their choice for up to 30 months. While all ESRD patients are eligible for [...]
Kidney health treatments
Regarding “Affordable Care Act premiums for Texas expected to rise in 2026,” (Dec. 30): Kidney disease runs deep in my family. My grandfather had kidney disease in the 1930s when few treatments even existed. My mother started dialysis in the 1980s and lived in constant fear of being dropped by her clinic due to coverage issues. I started dialysis in 2009 and stayed on it until 2023. On Sept.16, 2023, I received a kidney transplant from the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston. To God be [...]
Happy Holidays from DPC
On behalf of the Board, Staff, and Volunteers at DPC, we would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your family a happy holiday season, as well as a safe and healthy New Year. DPC offices will be closed for the holidays starting December 24 through January 2. We also want to take a moment to share our 2025 Year in Review, which would not have been possible without your continued support. Thank you again for helping us elevate the dialysis patient voice with policy [...]
Giving Thanks
As we approach Thanksgiving this week, DPC would like to take a moment to thank all of our phenomenal Board Members, Patient Ambassadors, and kidney advocates for sharing their stories and fighting to improve the quality of life for dialysis and kidney transplant patients nationwide. DPC Board Members Hasan Artharee and Ken Stephens recently shared videos on their kidney journeys and two important pieces of legislation that are currently in Congress that would have a major impact on patient quality of life. As a fourth-generation PKD patient and [...]
Support kidney patients by fixing Medicare gaps
In 2017, I had a heart attack, stroke, and was diagnosed with kidney failure. I soon began dialysis, the only treatment besides a transplant for kidney failure. Thankfully, I received a transplant more than three years ago. I may be post-transplant, but I know many who are still on dialysis, including my mother. My sisters and I have been caring for her through her dialysis journey. We couldn’t imagine our mother going through this alone. Yet, many patients don’t have support systems. That’s why we need a [...]
Support restoring dialysis patient protections
I’ve lived with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) since I was 9. ESRD is permanent kidney failure. Dialysis, a process that filters your blood when your kidneys no longer can, is what keeps me alive. I’ve spent over 20 years on dialysis, and I now do treatments at home several times a week. I worked most of my adult life, taking advantage of reliable private insurance from my employers for my costly treatments. That coverage helped me stay independent and maintain my health. But I recently became [...]
Upcoming Open Enrollment Deadlines for Nevada Dialysis Patients
In a major victory for under age 65 Nevadans living on dialysis, Senate Bill 292 became law earlier this year. SB 292 provides access for under-age 65 dialysis patients to purchase affordable Medigap insurance plans A, B and D at the same premium rate as those who are age 65. The remaining Medigap lettered plans are available at 200% of the age 65 premium. This legislation impacts not only individuals who have just started dialysis and enrolled in Medicare Part B, but it also includes a one-time, 6-month [...]
Support the Kidney Care Access Protection Act
Kidney failure turned my life upside down. I was only 19 years old and three months pregnant when I began dialysis, the only treatment outside of a transplant for kidney failure. Since then, I’ve received a transplant that ultimately failed, and I’ve spent nearly a decade back on dialysis. It’s an exhausting and all-consuming treatment — but what makes it worse is how outdated and underfunded our system is when it comes to new therapies. That’s why I support the Kidney Care Access Protection Act (KCAPA). It [...]
Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients
As a caregiver for my late father-in-law on dialysis – the only treatment for kidney failure outside of a transplant – I saw firsthand how taxing kidney disease can be. My wife, a nurse, handled his home dialysis treatments day after day. I helped wherever I could – driving him to appointments, shaving him when he could no longer manage, and offering the emotional support both he and my wife needed. Dialysis didn’t just affect him. It shaped our entire family’s life. We gave everything to help [...]
Ongoing Government Shutdown
The federal government is currently shut down due to a spending impasse in Congress over extending Affordable Care Act subsidies and restoring Medicaid cuts in H.R.1, the reconciliation bill passed in July. It is unclear how long the shutdown will last. The shutdown halts many of the federal government’s “nonessential” functions, but your benefits under entitlement programs such as Medicaid and Medicare continue. According to communications from the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) sent to patient advocates (10/1/25), 1-800-MEDICARE will continue to operate as usual. State Health Insurance [...]
Detroit, MI Dialysis Patient Quiana Bishop Elected as Dialysis Patient Citizens Board of Directors President
Washington, DC (October 01, 2025) -- Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC), the leading advocacy organization for dialysis patients nationwide, is pleased to announce the election of Quiana Bishop of Detroit, Michigan, to serve as President of the Board of Directors. Previously, Ms. Bishop served as Vice President of the Board of Directors for DPC. “Joining the Board of Directors at Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) changed my life. Suddenly, I wasn’t just a patient - I was a voice, a leader, and an advocate,” said Ms. Bishop. “Through DPC, I’ve [...]
Letter To The Editor: Kidney Failure, Dialysis, & Supporting Pending Legislation
To the Editor: Discovering I had End-Stage Renal Disease, or kidney failure, was one of the most shocking days of my life. I was a high school wrestler and felt healthy. I had recently become a proud godfather, cheering on my niece at her volleyball and softball games. I never thought I would have to confront a chronic condition. I wouldn’t be alive today without dialysis, a treatment that filters my blood several times a week. Dialysis is exhausting, but the financial burden can be just as [...]
Support S. 2730 – The Kidney Care Access Protection Act
In early September, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced The Kidney Care Access Protection Act (S. 2730) which would strengthen Medicare’s kidney care benefits by ensuring fair reimbursement for and access to quality care. This bipartisan legislation has been endorsed by Kidney Care Partners, the American Kidney Fund, Dialysis Patient Citizens, and the Renal Support Network (RSN). Specifically, this bill would establish a long-term, sustainable Medicare payment pathway for innovative drugs, devices, and technologies. It would also implement a forecast error adjustment policy [...]