Hannah Bracamonte, Author at Dialysis Patient Citizens

Upcoming Open Enrollment Deadlines for Nevada Dialysis Patients
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Upcoming Open Enrollment Deadlines for Nevada Dialysis Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2025-10-29T18:34:36+00:00October 29th, 2025|Categories: Article, Medicare Advantage, Medigap Coverage, Protect Patient Care, State Advocacy|

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 open enrollment window for dialysis patients who are already enrolled in Medicare Part [...]

Support the Kidney Care Access Protection Act
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Support the Kidney Care Access Protection Act

Hannah Bracamonte2025-10-14T19:50:55+00:00October 11th, 2025|Categories: Increase Quality of Care, Innovation, Patient Ambassadors, Patient Stories in the News|

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 It’s an exhausting and all-consuming treatment — but what makes it worse is how outdated and underfunded our system is when it comes to new therapies.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 would fix the way Medicare pays for innovative drugs and devices used in [...]

Ongoing Government Shutdown
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Ongoing Government Shutdown

Hannah Bracamonte2025-10-29T14:39:54+00:00October 6th, 2025|Categories: Article, Medicare Advantage, News, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care|

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 Assistance Programs (SHIPs) should be able to continue their regular program activities but designated [...]

Detroit, MI Dialysis Patient Quiana Bishop Elected as Dialysis Patient Citizens Board of Directors President
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Detroit, MI Dialysis Patient Quiana Bishop Elected as Dialysis Patient Citizens Board of Directors President

Hannah Bracamonte2025-10-02T18:03:17+00:00October 1st, 2025|Categories: About DPC, Board Members, News, Press Release|

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 been able to share my story with lawmakers and help push for better [...]

Letter To The Editor: Kidney Failure, Dialysis, & Supporting Pending Legislation
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Letter To The Editor: Kidney Failure, Dialysis, & Supporting Pending Legislation

Hannah Bracamonte2025-09-30T20:40:55+00:00September 24th, 2025|Categories: Medigap Coverage, Patient Ambassadors, Patient Stories in the News, Promote Financial Security|

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 draining. I’m fortunate to work for a company that allows me to adjust [...]

Support S. 2730 – The Kidney Care Access Protection Act
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Support S. 2730 – The Kidney Care Access Protection Act

Hannah Bracamonte2025-09-23T17:46:01+00:00September 23rd, 2025|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, News, Promote Financial Security, Take Action|

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 that accurately accounts for inflationary costs to help keep healthcare facilities financially viable. [...]

DPC Comment Letter to CMS Recounts Heartbreaking Story of Rural Dialysis Clinic Closure
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DPC Comment Letter to CMS Recounts Heartbreaking Story of Rural Dialysis Clinic Closure

Hannah Bracamonte2025-08-28T13:48:55+00:00August 28th, 2025|Categories: Comment Letter, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, Innovation, Policy Issues, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care, Quality Incentive Program, Staffing Shortages, Treatment Options|

DPC has submitted its comments responding to this year’s Medicare ESRD Payment Rule. The Medicare agency is proposing a payment update of only 1.9%, which doesn’t keep pace with increasing costs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, compensation costs for civilian workers increased 3.6 percent for the 12-month period ending in June, while inflation was 2.7%. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recently reported that dialysis clinics’ Medicare margin was –1.1 percent in 2022 and –0.2 percent in 2023. They project a 2025 FFS Medicare margin of 0 percent. The comment letter brought officials’ attention to the story of a [...]

DPC’s Letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, on ESRD Prospective Payment System
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DPC’s Letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, on ESRD Prospective Payment System

Hannah Bracamonte2025-09-11T17:44:31+00:00August 27th, 2025|Categories: Comment Letter, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, Innovation, Policy Issues, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care, Quality Incentive Program, Staffing Shortages, Treatment Options|

August 27, 2025 The Honorable Mehmet Oz Administrator Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 200 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20001 Re: CMS-1830-P - End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System Dear Dr. Oz: Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) writes to offer its comments on the above referenced proposed rule. 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 patients. The non-dialysis patients serving on our Board are former dialysis patients with kidney [...]

Letters: Dialysis patients need help from Congress to fight insurers
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Letters: Dialysis patients need help from Congress to fight insurers

Hannah Bracamonte2025-10-27T15:21:00+00:00August 21st, 2025|Categories: Featured Spotlight, Medigap Coverage, Patient Ambassadors, Patient Stories in the News, Promote Financial Security, Spotlight|

I’m writing not just as a nurse, but as a wife and caregiver. My husband Kenneth was diagnosed with IgA nephropathy at just 20 years old. That disease slowly damaged his kidneys, leading to kidney failure and the need for dialysis, a treatment that does the work of the kidneys by cleaning the blood when the kidneys can no longer do so. For the past decade, we’ve built our life around his treatment. We started with peritoneal dialysis at home, which involved using a catheter and fluid exchange to filter his blood overnight while he slept. When that was no [...]

DPC Visits Boston for 2025 National Conference of State Legislators
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DPC Visits Boston for 2025 National Conference of State Legislators

Hannah Bracamonte2025-08-28T13:49:21+00:00August 12th, 2025|Categories: Uncategorized|

The National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) celebrated its 50th anniversary by welcoming more than 9,000 state legislators to its Legislative Summit in Boston August 4-6. DPC was thrilled to participate in the largest gathering of state legislators in our nation’s history as part of our legislative advocacy work at the state level. Yolonda Brisbane, Grassroots Manager, DPC Board Secretary, Cheri Rodriguez Jones, and State Advocacy Directors, Elizabeth Lively and Pamela Zielske, attended the event and shared updates on DPC’s critically important work in the states to increase access to affordable Medigap coverage. Over the course of the Summit, we [...]

About Hannah Bracamonte

Dialysis Patient Citizens

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