Dialysis Patient Citizens News
DPC’s 2025 Advocacy Day
Last week, DPC hosted our annual Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. where we bring together patients, family members, and care givers to meet with their Members of Congress to elevate the patient story for dialysis patients. This year we had 36 advocates attend, representing 24 states, who had over 80 Congressional meetings. Our patients spoke to their congressional leaders and encouraged their support for the Restore Act (H.R. 2199/S. 1173) and for the Kidney Care Access Protection Act (KCAPA), which is expected to be introduced soon. In doing [...]
He needs help to stay alive
At 12, a freak accident caused my kidneys to fail. My mother gave me the gift of life a second time when she donated one of her kidneys. But by 20, my body began rejecting it, and I had to start dialysis, a grueling treatment that filtered my blood because my kidneys no longer could. Three times a week, I sat in a chair for hours just to stay alive. Eventually, I received a second transplant. But even post-transplant I need expensive medications, lab work, and regular [...]
Congress can help kidney patients
For decades, I worked as a teacher and mentor to students I loved. Then suddenly, I was diagnosed with kidney failure. Now, I’m a dialysis patient who relies on an exhausting treatment to survive. I was first diagnosed with kidney disease in 2016 after a family history of high blood pressure caught up with me. I came off dialysis for a few years after weight loss surgery, but in 2023, my kidneys failed again. I had to stop working, because of having too many doctor's appointments and [...]
Congress, pass Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act
I’ve lived with kidney failure since birth. After several transplants, I’ve now been on dialysis for 36 years, which is the only treatment besides a transplant for kidney failure. It’s not something you can skip. It’s a life-or-death treatment. That’s why I’m urging Congress to pass the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. This H.R. 2199 bill would ensure new dialysis patients can keep their private insurance for 30 months, a protection we used to have until a recent Supreme Court decision determined what health care we [...]
DPC’s Letter to Mr. Abe Sutton, Deputy Administrator at Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, on CKCC Revisions
July 9, 2025 Mr. Abe Sutton, Deputy Administrator Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, MD 21244 Re: CKCC Revisions Dear Mr. Sutton: We are writing to protest the recent changes to the CKCC model that manifest a reduced CMMI commitment to integrated kidney care. As a former CMMI staffer, a consumer representative on the governing body of one the CKCC sites, and a longtime health policy analyst and patient advocate, I can see CMMI programs from a global perspective, and what I see is [...]
Dialysis Patient Citizens Applauds Texas Legislature for Passing Historic Bill Expanding Affordable Medigap Access for Dialysis and ALS Patients
Austin, TX (June 23, 2025) – House Bill 2516 has become public law, a significant victory for Texans living with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The legislation, championed by Representative Ryan Guillen (R-TX-31), received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Texas State Legislature, passing the House with a 133-4 vote and the Senate unanimously. The law guarantees that ESRD and ALS patients under the age of 65 can access affordable Medigap insurance. Specifically, Medigap Plans A, B, and D will be [...]
Medigap Protections become Law in Nevada and Texas
Two historic bills that expand affordable access to Medicare Supplement Insurance coverage, otherwise known as Medigap, have passed with overwhelming support in the states of Nevada and Texas this legislative session. Both bills provide affordable access to Medigap plans for dialysis patients who are under age 65. Sponsored and championed by Nevada State Senator, Roberta Lange (D-NV-7) and signed at the beginning of June by Governor Joe Lombardo (R-NV) Senate Bill 292 guarantees access to affordable Medigap coverage to Nevadans who are under age 65 and on dialysis. [...]
Rhode Island Passes Birthday Rule and Evaluates Community Rating for Medigap Plans
On Friday, June 20, the Rhode Island House passed SB610, Sub B, joining the Senate in approving a birthday rule and evaluation of adopting community rating for all Medicare Supplement plans. SB 610 is awaiting the Governor’s signature. SB 610 does a number of things, including establishing a guaranteed-issue 6-month open enrollment period for individuals under-age 65 enrolled in a Medicare supplement (Medigap) plan who wish to switch to a different plan upon turning age 65. While all individuals turning age 65 who enroll in Medicare Part B [...]
Delaware Unanimously Passes Medigap Birthday Rule
With a unanimous vote in the Delaware House of Representatives on June 12, the Delaware General Assembly has unanimously passed SB 71 in both chambers. This legislation, called a birthday rule, creates a special open enrollment window for persons already enrolled in a Medicare Supplement policy (also called Medigap) to switch to another plan that provides the same or lesser benefits, allowing Enrollees to find a plan that better fits their financial circumstances. Further, this bill allows those on Medicare Advantage plans to switch back to Medicare Supplement [...]
Dialysis Patient Citizens Applauds Nevada Governor Signing Legislation Expanding Access to Affordable Medigap Coverage for Dialysis Patients
Carson City, NV (June 9, 2025) – Governor Joe Lombardo (R-NV) and the Nevada State Legislature have taken a historic step to ensure affordable access to Medicare Supplement Insurance plans, also known as Medigap, to Medicare enrollees under age 65, including Nevada residents with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD). Senate Bill 292, sponsored and championed by Senator Roberta Lange (D-NV-7), passed the Senate unanimously and the Assembly with overwhelming bipartisan support (39-3), and it was signed into law by Governor Lombardo. SB 292 guarantees that dialysis patients under [...]
Support Medigap Plans
I have end-stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure. My journey began after a serious accident at age 12 caused my kidneys to fail. My mother selflessly donated one of her kidneys, which lasted about eight years. At 20, my body began rejecting the transplant, and I had to start dialysis—a taxing but life-saving treatment done three times a week to filter the blood. The transition was overwhelming. I often rode a bus to San Francisco at 6 a.m. and returned home at midnight. Like many others, [...]
Support a state law that helps those living in an insurance gap
I’ve been living with kidney failure since 2019. Like so many Californians, I’ve faced more than just one diagnosis—diabetes, high blood pressure, gastroparesis, gout—and even the amputation of my foot due to sepsis. Dialysis, an intensive treatment done three times per week to keep me alive, has permanently affected my life. But I’ve fought every step of the way to stay strong and keep pursuing my goals. I returned to school at age 37, majoring in nutrition and dietetics to learn how food could help heal my [...]
DPC and the DPC Education Center Mourn the Passing of Diane Brisbane
It is with a heavy heart that Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) and the DPC Education Center learned of the passing of former Board Member, Diane Brisbane. Diane grew up in the South Jamaica section of Queens, NY and was raised in a household and community that taught family first and service to others. This is the mindset with which she pursued life. After getting her start as a nurses’ aide, she eventually advanced to EKG technician, and later to supervisor of the EKG department, and finally retired after [...]
Medical funding
I was diagnosed with kidney failure at 34. I lacked formal education about the disease, and within a year I began losing my sight to diabetic retinopathy. I’m now legally blind and depend on others for daily tasks. It’s been a difficult journey, but I’ve grown as a person throughout it. Patients like me shouldn’t have to worry about finances. I’m lucky enough to afford dialysis, a frequent treatment that filters my blood since my kidneys can’t, since it’s covered by Medicare and charitable donations. I remember [...]
Texas Medigap Update – May 2025
Texas House Bill 2516 was unanimously approved by the House Insurance Committee and passed off the House Floor with overwhelming bipartisan support (130-19). This legislation, which will provide affordable access to Medicare Supplement Insurance (Medigap) to individuals who are under age 65 with ESRD, is now in the Texas Senate. HB 2516 recently passed unanimously out of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee and is expected to be heard on the Senate Floor shortly. Throughout the legislative process, we’ve had nearly 20 Texas legislators join author [...]
DPC Submits Letter to HRSA on Out-of-Sequence Organ Donation
On May 21, 2025, DPC submitted a letter to Thomas J. Engels, Administrator at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), expressing concern about the growth in out-of-sequence organ transplants reported in a recent New York Times article. The article outlines a recent shift in the transplant system, where someone’s ranking on the transplant list may be ignored and instead the organ is given to a patient further down the list, usually due to easier coordination for the transplant. As a patient-led organization whose board is comprised [...]
DPC’s Letter to Thomas J. Engels, Administrator at Health Resources and Services Administration, on Out-of-Sequence Organ Allocations
May 21, 2025 Thomas J. Engels, Administrator Health Resources and Services Administration 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20857 Re: Out-of-Sequence Organ Allocations Dear Administrator Engels: Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) writes to express our concerns about the growth in out-of-sequence organ transplants reported in a recent New York Times article. DPC's membership, currently about 35,000, is restricted to kidney disease patients and their family members. DPC is a patient-led organization. Our by-laws require that the President, Vice President and at least 51% of the Board be current dialysis [...]
Nevada Medigap Update – May 2025
After unanimous passage in the Nevada State Senate, the Nevada Assembly Committee on Commerce and Labor unanimously approved Senate Bill 292 on May 16th. Sponsored by State Senator Roberta Lange (NV-7), this important legislation will provide access to affordable Medicare Supplement Insurance, otherwise known as Medigap to the under age 65 Medicare eligible population. Currently individuals under age 65 in the state of Nevada who are eligible for Medicare as a result of End Stage Renal Disease or by disability are not able to access Medigap coverage. [...]
State must guarantee Medigap for dialysis
I have progressive chronic kidney disease (CKD). One day, my kidneys will fail. Dialysis — a life-saving treatment that removes waste from the blood when the kidneys fail — is in my future. Right now, I am doing everything I can to slow the progression of my disease. But one thing I can’t control is whether I’ll be able to afford very expensive dialysis treatment when the time comes. I recently lost my job, which means I lost my private insurance. I bought my own private plan [...]