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About Jason Yang

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So far Jason Yang has created 40 blog entries.

Letter: Medigap expansion bill offers relief to kidney disease patients in need

2021-06-24T19:52:58+00:00June 19th, 2021|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

I have struggled with kidney disease my entire life. I was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease when I was 7 years old, and I finally went on dialysis in 2010 at age 26 when my kidneys failed. While I was able to receive full coverage from private and public insurance providers due to the fact that I am legally blind, the sad reality is that many dialysis patients who aren’t disabled don’t have access to the full coverage they need for their treatments. For that reason, it’s important that Congress passes The Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act. This [...]

Medigap expansion bill would ease burden on dialysis patients

2021-06-25T16:11:27+00:00June 11th, 2021|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

Last year was tough for everyone as we navigated life during a pandemic and did what we could to stay home. Unfortunately, things got even tougher when I found out I had to start dialysis treatments again. While I was initially able to stop dialysis in 2010 thanks to a kidney transplant, complications meant that I had to start treatments again in 2020. The second time around, the entire process has been more difficult since I have more treatments each week than I did previously, and the cost of medications, treatments and more take their toll. Cost is a major [...]

Former firefighter advocates for fellow renal failure patients

2021-07-12T19:31:03+00:00June 8th, 2021|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Spotlight|

Former firefighter Terry Peeler of Livingston has released a statement urging Alabama lawmakers to support new bipartisan legislation that offers coverage for dialysis patients. Peeler’s career as a firefighter ended when he was diagnosed with kidney failure. “Starting dialysis in 2016 was unbelievably difficult,” Peeler said. “It brought my career as a firefighter to a sudden halt, and meant I needed to make a 72-mile round trip three times every week to undergo a procedure that takes five hours.” “I was fortunate, though, because the cost was not prohibitive for me,” Peeler explained. “My job provided me with good insurance [...]

Passing kidney care legislation will help dialysis patients

2021-06-25T16:23:09+00:00May 12th, 2021|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit last year, it forced a lot of people out of work. That was especially the case for dialysis patients like me, as our kidney disease means we’re at a higher risk for getting seriously sick if we get COVID-19, and we’ve had to take extra steps to stay safe. While I’m looking forward to returning to work, doing so means I will lose some of the coverage I have that covers what Medicare doesn’t. Unless I can get that “Medigap” coverage, I and other dialysis patients in my situation will be stuck paying significant [...]

Andrew Conkling: Expanding Medigap coverage for dialysis patients is a welcome and necessary change

2021-06-25T16:24:25+00:00April 29th, 2021|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

Kidney disease has been a major part of my life from the very start. I was born with just one functioning kidney and, defying doctors’ expectations, made it to age 25 before I needed to start dialysis treatments. Through my own experiences with dialysis and my conversations with other patients in dialysis clinics across the United States in the years since, I’ve seen that there are still a lot of barriers that prevent patients who have End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) from getting the level of care they need at an affordable cost. This has only been magnified since the start [...]

New Bipartisan Effort Could Provide Much-Needed Coverage for NYC Kidney Patients

2021-06-25T16:29:10+00:00April 28th, 2021|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

Living with kidney disease, undergoing dialysis, and ultimately traveling out-of-state to receive a kidney transplant provided me with a harsh lesson in how challenging life with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) can be both physically and financially. It’s already difficult having to go through all these treatments even before considering the financial burdens that come with them. The costs are a lot for patients, and many of them are hit with bills they simply can’t afford. As those costs pile up, patients can become ineligible for treatments that they need, and even can be excluded from getting a transplant. This especially [...]

Letter: Medigap Expansion Act needs Delaware’s support

2023-08-28T17:57:04+00:00April 13th, 2021|Categories: Patient Ambassadors, Patient Stories in the News, Spotlight|

Life on dialysis is hard. It involves several hours-long treatments every week and puts a major strain on everyone involved. It’s a frustrating process that I wouldn’t have been able to get through without my family. The last thing you want to worry about while going through dialysis is the cost. The treatments already weigh on patients and families both physically and mentally, and no dialysis patient should be forced to fear they will be priced out of life-saving care. That is why it is so important that lawmakers in Washington rally behind the Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act, [...]

Letter: Pass Medigap expansion

2021-06-25T16:28:10+00:00April 2nd, 2021|Categories: Patient Stories in the News|

I never considered the possibility of having kidney disease until I ended up in the emergency room with a life-threatening illness. The doctors told me I was “toxic” and said I had developed kidney disease due to hypertension. Not long after, I started dialysis treatments. Being on dialysis meant I couldn’t work full time, so I wanted to find a way to get involved and help others like me. Dialysis is tough, and I want to use my experiences to help ensure patients can get the care they need without worrying about their finances or how they will put food [...]

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