Policy Issues Archives - Page 46 of 61 - Dialysis Patient Citizens

DPC Urges Members to Share Stories of Insurance Assistance from the American Kidney Fund

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00March 10th, 2016|Categories: Article, Charitable Premium Assistance, Medigap Coverage|

For decades, dialysis patients have received financial assistance from the American Kidney Fund to help them maintain their private insurance or Medigap coverage. Recently, insurers started to reject those payments from AKF in an effort to purge kidney patients from their health plans. We ask you to please share your stories about the help that AKF has provided and about any problems you have experienced due to an insurance company refusing to take AKF payments. You need not give your name. Click here to take our survey.

DPC Encourages Participation in National Kidney Month Awareness

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00March 10th, 2016|Categories: Article, Charitable Premium Assistance, Dialysis Funding, Get Involved, Take Action, Transplant Donor Protection, Uncategorized|

March is National Kidney Month, which provides you with the perfect opportunity to spread awareness by educating your community and your legislators about kidney disease and the importance of kidney health. You can find educational information on the website of our sister organization, the DPC Education Center to share with your family and community. Additionally, we can provide promotional materials for any awareness events you plan to hold in March. To request materials such as pens and squeezable kidneys, visit our materials request page or call us at 1-866-877-4242. On the legislative front, you can ask your member of Congress to [...]

Legislation Aims to Improve Access to Telemedicine

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00February 11th, 2016|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Improve Access to Care|

Telemedicine is the practice of using technology to deliver various medical services to patients. Examples include video visits with physicians, scheduling appointments online and using electronic devices to monitor vital signs. Medicare coverage for this type of health care remains restricted due to guidelines from the Social Security Act. A new piece of legislation, introduced by a bipartisan group of Senators, would waive these coverage restrictions. The new bill, called the Creating Opportunities Now for Necessary and Effective Care Technologies (CONNECT) for Health Act, would create a “bridge program” for health providers who use certain payment models. Under the program, providers [...]

DPC Sends Comment Letter on Chronic Care Working Group Document

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00February 11th, 2016|Categories: Care Coordination, Medicare Advantage|

A document released by the Senate Chronic Care Working Group in December contains several policy proposals for the care of end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. DPC’s most recent e-newsletter outlined the proposal’s topics, which include opening Medicare Advantage plans to dialysis patients, and making Special Needs Plans permanent to better coordinate care. DPC recently submitted a letter commenting on these proposals. DPC supports the proposal to allow ESRD patients to enroll in Medicare Advantage (MA) plans without restrictions. Current guidelines prevent ESRD patients enrolled in traditional Medicare to enroll in Medicare Advantage plans. DPC encourages the working group to share comments they may receive [...]

Is This the Future of ESRD Care? A New Program Goes the Extra Mile for Dialysis Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00February 1st, 2016|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Care Coordination|

By, Jackson Williams, Government Affairs Director for Dialysis Patient Citizens For more than a decade, officials in Washington, DC have been experimenting with ways to reorganize Medicare to deliver better care at lower costs. Several of these “demonstration projects” have involved ESRD patients. Now, the largest such program for dialysis patients has kicked off at 13 locations across the U.S. It’s called the ESRD Seamless Care Organization, or “ESCO,” model. This article describes what one of these projects, Philadelphia-Camden Integrated Kidney Care, is doing to improve care for its patients. Philadelphia-Camden Integrated Kidney Care covers about 2,000 patients at DaVita clinics in the [...]

DPC Submits Comments to Chronic Care Working Group Re: Medicare Advantage

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00January 25th, 2016|Categories: Comment Letter, Medicare Advantage|

Hon. Johnny Isakson Hon. Mark Warner United States Senate Washington, DC 20510 Re: Comments to the Chronic Care Working Group Dear Senators Isakson and Warner: As America’s largest patient-led organization representing persons with end-stage renal disease, with over 28,000 members, Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) works to improve quality of life for dialysis patients through education and advocacy. We are grateful to the Working Group for its focus on how chronic illness care could be improved for patients with ESRD. As you know, ESRD patients represent a small portion of Medicare beneficiaries but a disproportionately large percentage of Medicare expenditures. Much [...]

Paper from Senate Group Focuses on Improving Access to Healthcare

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00January 19th, 2016|Categories: Article, Care Coordination, Improve Access to Care, Medicare Advantage|

A recent document released by the Senate Chronic Care Working Group contains several policy proposals relating to the care of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. The working group was formed last year under by Senate Finance Committee as a way to explore potential bipartisan policy changes to improve health care. DPC was pleased to see that committee discuss many of our our policy priorities including: dialysis patient access to Medicare Advantage Plans, Telehealth for dialysis patients and the desire to make the successful Special Needs Plans permanent to better coordinate care for dialysis patients. Currently, patients who are eligible for [...]

2015 Year in Review

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00January 19th, 2016|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Access to Transplant, Article, Care Coordination, Charitable Premium Assistance, Dialysis Funding, Innovation, Medicare Advantage|Tags: Annual Accomplishments|

Happy New Year! In 2015, DPC leadership and its strong patient advocacy efforts at the state level fought to: prevent dramatic cuts to dialysis funding in Alabama and Illinois and preserve charity payments for dialysis patient premiums. Other highlights include: The opportunity for DPC CEO Hrant Jamgochian and board member Bob Lee to testify in front of the Oregon insurance commissioner on the discriminatory language found in two private insurance plans that would limit coverage for ESRD patients. The commissioner ruled against the language. DPC board member Danny Iniguez discussed health disparities in kidney disease at the National Black Caucus [...]

DPC Urges CMS to Prioritize Patient Access

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:30+00:00January 19th, 2016|Categories: Access to Transplant, Care Coordination, Charitable Premium Assistance, Medicare Advantage, Medigap Coverage, Transportation Services|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

Last month, DPC sent a letter commenting on the “Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2017” proposed rule. This annual rule by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) contains proposed changes to the exchange plan coverage of the Affordable Care Act. DPC’s letter focuses on the importance of insurance coverage and network quality for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients. One issue the letter comments on pertains to network adequacy. Network adequacy describes an insurance plan’s ability to provide a sufficient amount of in-network providers to subscribers in the plan. Suggestions to improve network adequacy include requiring all [...]

RE: CMS–9937–P: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2017

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:31+00:00December 21st, 2015|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Charitable Premium Assistance, Comment Letter, Improve Access to Care|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

Andrew Slavitt Acting AdministratorCenters for Medicare and Medicaid Services 7500 Security BoulevardBaltimore, MD 21244RE: CMS–9937–P: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2017Dear Acting Administrator Slavitt,On behalf of the more than 430,000 patients who rely upon dialysis services, we appreciate the opportunity to comment on the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act; HHS Notice of Benefit and Payment Parameters for 2017” Proposed Rule (Proposed Rule). We strongly encourage the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to protect the rights of all Americans to access coverage in the Marketplaces, consistent with the Affordable Care [...]

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