Policy Issues Archives - Page 48 of 61 - Dialysis Patient Citizens

Re: Essential Health Benefits – 2017 Benchmark Plans

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:32+00:00September 28th, 2015|Categories: Care Coordination, Comment Letter, Promote Financial Security|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

Hon. Kevin Counihan Center for Consumer and Information and Insurance Oversight Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Hubert H. Humphrey Building 200 Independence Ave, SW Washington, D.C. 20201 Re: Essential Health Benefits - 2017 Benchmark Plans Dear Deputy Director Counihan: Dialysis Patient Citizens, America’s largest patient-led organization representing dialysis patients, is comprised of more than 28,000 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 comment on the Agency’s List of Proposed 2017 Essential Health Benefits (EHB) Benchmark Plans. States have four options for [...]

Letter to Oregon Insurance Commissioner Emphasizes Importance of Private Insurance
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Letter to Oregon Insurance Commissioner Emphasizes Importance of Private Insurance

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:32+00:00September 16th, 2015|Categories: Article, Charitable Premium Assistance, Comment Letter, Improve Access to Care, Promote Financial Security, State Advocacy|Tags: Health Insurance Exchange|

Regence and Moda, two private insurance plans in Oregon, recently made changes to their 2016 plans that would negatively affect ESRD patients. Specifically, after three months of coverage, any out-of-pocket payments patients make for dialysis treatment will no longer count towards their out-of-pocket maximums. This appears to be an effort to pressure dialysis patients to drop their private coverage and enroll in Medicare. DPC’s letter to the Oregon Insurance Commissioner calls attention to this discriminatory move. Medicare plans do not include an out-of-pocket maximum amount, while most private insurance plans do. Statistics also show that patients with Medicare plans are [...]

Representative Pitts visits Reading Dialysis Center

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:32+00:00September 16th, 2015|Categories: Article, Care Coordination, Dialysis Funding, Medicare Advantage, Promote Financial Security|

During the August recess, Congressman Joe Pitts took the opportunity to engage with dialysis patients in his home district. He recently visited the Reading Dialysis Center in Reading, PA where he received a tour of the facility and met with dialysis nurses and staff. As Chairman of the Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee, he is an influential decision maker when it comes to kidney care issues. He spoke to the dialysis staff on a variety of health proposals currently in Congress including the 21st century Cures initiative. We hope Representative Pitts will continue his support of kidney care issues by co-sponsoring [...]

Patients Work on Advocacy at Home During Congressional Recess

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:32+00:00September 16th, 2015|Categories: Get Involved, State Advocacy, Take Action|

While Congress was in recess during the month of August, DPC Patient Ambassadors used this opportunity to engage their legislators at home. Patient Ambassadors attended meetings with congressional staff, hosted facility tours and wrote letters to the editor in support of The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act (H.R. 1130, S. 598). Facility tours and meetings took place all across the country. Specifically, Bob L. from Oregon, Kathy S. from Ohio, Jim M. from Indiana and Arthur G. from Pennsylvania hosted their legislators at dialysis facilities and shared their stories to encourage support of the kidney bill. [...]

DPC Comments on 2016 Prospective Payment System and QIP

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:32+00:00September 16th, 2015|Categories: Comment Letter, Quality Incentive Program|

DPC recently sent a comment letter responding to the proposed payment rule for CMS’s Medicare End Stage Renal Disease program. Using responses from our 2015 Patient Survey, our suggestions focus on how CMS can improve on the key issues of payment and quality for patients. On the payment side, we urge CMS to revise its patient-level payment system by focusing on individuals’ experiences, instead of drawing conclusions based off of large amounts of data. Better support of rural facilities and home dialysis is also important, providing more access and opportunity for treatment. On the quality front, we suggest changes be [...]

RE: CMS-1631-P: Physician Fee Schedule

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:32+00:00August 25th, 2015|Categories: Comment Letter, Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage|

August 25, 2015 Andrew Slavitt, Acting Administrator Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Department of Health and Human Services Hubert H. Humphrey Building 200 Independence Avenue SW Washington, D.C. 20201 Dear Mr. Slavitt, Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) appreciates the opportunity to provide the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) with comments on the proposed payment rule for the Medicare End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program. As America’s largest patient-led organization representing dialysis patients, DPC’s membership consists of more than 28,000 dialysis and pre-dialysis patients and their families. We seek to ensure the patient point of view is considered by [...]

JAMA Study Examines Obstacles Preventing Kidney Transplants

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:32+00:00August 14th, 2015|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article|

It is well known that the best treatment for end-stage renal disease patients is a kidney transplant. While there are many health factors that affect a patients’ ability to receive a transplant, a recent study found that only 28 percent of adult patients beginning dialysis were even referred for kidney transplant evaluations. The study, published in the Journal of American Medical Association, examined 15,000 patients within Georgia’s three transplant centers. Referral rates varied from 0% to 75% in some dialysis facilities. Researchers found that facilities with the lowest referral rate were “likely to be nonprofit, hospital-based, have more patients, treat patients [...]

Report Finds Star Rating System Does Not Follow Federal Guidelines

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:32+00:00August 14th, 2015|Categories: 5-Star Ratings, Article, Uncategorized|

The Medicare five-star rating system, maintained by the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services’ (CMS), has recently come under scrutiny by the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness (CRE). In a letter from last month, CRE officials report that multiple entities have contacted them about the system possibly violating federal regulations. According to the letter, data from the rating system helps in determining rebates, eligibility and bonuses for patients. Current law requires this information be posted on a federal register to receive comments from stakeholders. CRE officials found CMS has instead been posting the information on their website and providing only summaries of comments. [...]

Biosimilar Medication Topic of House Letter to CMS

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:32+00:00August 14th, 2015|Categories: Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Promote Financial Security|

When the FDA approves a generic drug, it’s based on the chemicals contained in the original brand medication. Congress recently enacted a similar process for the approval of “biosimilars” based on the original biologic medication. The main difference is that the “biosimilar” is approved based on its development process. Biosimilars have the potential to be a cheaper alternative for expensive biologic medications such as Epogen, a drug used for anemia management. A letter sent from the House of Representatives to the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) calls attention to a biosimilar reimbursement proposal in CMS’s 2016 Medicare Physician Fee Schedule proposed [...]

Congress Adopts Key Element of Kidney Community Agenda: Clinics May Soon Dialyze Acute Kidney Injury Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T01:50:32+00:00July 16th, 2015|Categories: Article, Medigap Coverage|

In passing the President's trade legislation last month, Congress enacted a longtime priority of kidney care advocates: permitting patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) to be treated in dialysis clinics. Under current law, AKI patients may only receive dialysis at hospitals, which is more costly to the Medicare program and less convenient for patients. Congress took this measure from the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act, the comprehensive kidney bill that DPC has supported, so that the Medicare savings could pay for assistance to displaced workers. While DPC does not endorse the use of Medicare savings to offset [...]

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