Hannah Bracamonte, Author at Dialysis Patient Citizens

DPC Thanks Texas for Allowing ESRD Patients to Purchase Medigap Plans

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:07+00:00January 27th, 2014|Categories: Comment Letter, Medigap Coverage, State Advocacy|

Ms. Sara Waitt, General Counsel Texas Department of Insurance P.O. Box 149104 Austin, TX 78714-9104 Re: Minimum Standards for Medicare Supplement Policies Dear Ms. Waitt, As America’s largest patient-led organization representing dialysis patients, Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) works to improve the quality of life of all dialysis patients through education and advocacy. Today we are writing on behalf of over 37,000 dialysis patients in Texas, specifically those who use the Texas Health Insurance Pool for supplemental insurance. We would like to express our gratitude for the recent decision to extend an additional two-month guaranteed issue period from the date of [...]

For New Kidney Failure Patients Under 65: Is Medicare or an Exchange Plan the Better Insurance Option?

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:07+00:00January 13th, 2014|Categories: Medicaid|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients who progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD) before the age of 65 now have a new health insurance option—exchange health plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Non-elderly patients who do not have, or will not be continuing, employer-sponsored insurance may be better off in an exchange plan depending on their financial circumstances. The reason for this is that the Affordable Care Act is more generous than Medicare in providing extra financial assistance to low-income individuals. Medicare Programs for Low-Income Patients Patient advocates have never considered Medicare to be a particularly generous health benefit, because it [...]

DPC Thanks California for Reinstating Nutritional Supplement Coverage

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:07+00:00January 8th, 2014|Categories: Comment Letter, Medicaid, State Advocacy|

Ms. Pilar Williams, Chief Medical Supplies & Enteral Nutrition Benefits Branch, Pharmacy Benefits Division California Department of Health Care Services P. O. Box 997413, MS 4604 Sacramento, CA 95899-7413 Re: Proposed Policy Changes to Medi-Cal Enternal Nutrition Products Benefit Dear Ms. Williams, On behalf of the more than 50,000 people on dialysis in California, Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) would like to thank you and the state of California for restoring Medi-Cal coverage of enteral nutritional supplements for dialysis patients. With 30,000 members nationwide, DPC works to improve the quality of life of all kidney patients. Access to medically necessary oral [...]

DPC Encourages Coverage of Renal Dialysis in Exchange Plans

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:07+00:00January 6th, 2014|Categories: Comment Letter, Promote Financial Security|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

Hon. Marilyn Tavenner, Administrator Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Department of Health and Human Services Hubert H. Humphrey Building 200 Independence Ave, SW Washington, D.C. 20201 Re: Coverage of Renal Dialysis in Exchange Plans Dear Administrator Tavenner: Dialysis Patient Citizens, America’s largest patient-led organization representing dialysis patients, is comprised of more than 26,000 dialysis and pre-dialysis patients and their families. We seek to ensure the patient point of view is considered by policy makers. We are writing to express our concerns about language we found in a spot-check of exchange plan documents that appears to permit disenrollment of patients [...]

Giving Tuesday: What Can We as Dialysis Patients Give?

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:07+00:00December 6th, 2013|Categories: Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage, Patient's Voice, What is Kidney Disease?|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

By James Myers, DPC Patient Ambassador On the website for the Polycystic Kidney Foundation, there is an announcement about Giving Tuesday, December 3rd, 2013. It says you can give one of three ways: your voice, your time or your dollars. As a dialysis patient, I don’t know about you, but I don’t have any money. But two things that I have a lot of are voice and time, and I am more than happy to lend those to the cause of defeating PKD. I can honestly say that having an invisible fatal illness has colored every decision that I have [...]

HOPE Act Signed Into Law

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:07+00:00December 1st, 2013|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article|Tags: HIV Positive Organ Transplantation|

After tireless efforts by DPC and others in the kidney community, President Obama signed the HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act into law on November 21, 2013. The HOPE Act was introduced with strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives by Rep. Lois Capps and Rep. Andy Harris and in the Senate by Sen. Barbara Boxer and Sen. Tom Coburn. The HOPE Act legalizes the research of transplanting HIV positive organs into HIV positive recipients. If this research proves this practice to be effective, the organ supply in the United States could increase by 500 organs per year. Many of these organs [...]

Exciting Changes to the Patient Ambassador Program

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:07+00:00December 1st, 2013|Categories: Article, Get Involved|

DPC has revised the Patient Ambassador program to offer participants a better overall experience. To give Patient Ambassadors increased flexibility, Ambassadors will now have more of a choice over which actions they take. Prior to 2014, Ambassadors received two suggested actions to take each month. Starting in 2014, Ambassadors will receive many more possible actions to take on a bimonthly basis without any obligation to complete them all. Instead, Ambassadors will earn reward points for each action they take. The greater the time commitment and effort required to complete an action, the greater the reward point value. The format of the [...]

Patient Outcry Draws a Two-Year Reprieve From Dialysis Cuts
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Patient Outcry Draws a Two-Year Reprieve From Dialysis Cuts

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:08+00:00December 1st, 2013|Categories: Article, Care Coordination, Dialysis Funding, Treatment Options|

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) acknowledged patient concerns by delaying for two years its planned cut to the Medicare End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program. The Medicare agency’s decision didn’t give dialysis patients everything we asked for, but it does mean that nearly $2 billion slated to be cut from kidney care in 2014 and 2015 will remain available to treat patients. However, it also means that patient advocates must be vigilant for any signs that access to care is shrinking as providers anticipate cuts now scheduled to take effect in 2016. The Medicare ruling came in the [...]

Apply for DPC’s 2014 World Kidney Day Fly-in

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:08+00:00December 1st, 2013|Categories: Article, Get Involved, Take Action|

Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) is holding our 2014 World Kidney Day Fly-in from March 11 through March 13 in Washington, DC. Are you ready to join the nation’s top patient advocates in Washington, DC and talk to your legislators directly about the issues that affect dialysis patients? If so, be sure to apply! We are looking for kidney disease patients who are passionate about dialysis advocacy. Before applying, you must first enroll in DPC’s Patient’s Ambassador Program. Preference will be given to applicants who have volunteered for DPC in the past and who live in key congressional districts. At the [...]

CMS Releases Final Rule on 9.4% Cut to Medicare ESRD Program
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CMS Releases Final Rule on 9.4% Cut to Medicare ESRD Program

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:08+00:00November 26th, 2013|Categories: Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care|

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) just released a final rule on the proposed 9.4% cut to dialysis funding. The final rule made the following changes: The payment rate for dialysis services will remain the same in 2014 and 2015. The proposed 12% cut to dialysis was delayed until 2016 and will be phased in over 4 years. There will be a 50% increase in the home dialysis training payment. In response, DPC released the following statement: DPC appreciates the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ (CMS) acknowledgment of patient concerns in delaying implementation of its proposed cut to [...]

About Hannah Bracamonte

Dialysis Patient Citizens

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