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DPC Advocates Fly to Washington for 2014 World Kidney Fly-in
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DPC Advocates Fly to Washington for 2014 World Kidney Fly-in

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:06+00:00April 1st, 2014|Categories: Article, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, Promote Financial Security|Tags: Advocacy Day|

DPC advocates flew to Washington, DC for our 2014 World Kidney Day Fly-in. Twenty-six patients and family members were joined by 19 provider representatives from 24 states. Advocates conducted 94 meetings with Members of Congress and their staff. This year, we asked Congress to protect funding for the Medicare ESRD program and to open Medicare Part C to people on dialysis. Take a look at these pictures for the full story. The patients in the these pictures are our most active Patient Ambassadors. If you are interested in becoming a strong advocate for people with kidney disease, join the Patient Ambassador program! [...]

2014 World Kidney Day Fly-In

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:06+00:00March 6th, 2014|Categories: Article, Medicare Advantage|Tags: Advocacy Day|

Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) will be hosting our annual World Kidney Day Fly-In from March 11 to March 13, 2014. Twenty-eight patients and family members from 23 states will arrive in Washington, DC to speak to nearly 100 Congressional offices about issues that affect people with kidney failure. In addition, the group will be joined by 17 dialysis facility professionals who will help amplify their message. The day prior to visiting Capitol Hill, participants will receive a comprehensive issue briefing and advocacy training from DPC staff. During this Fly-In we will be speaking with Congressional office staff about ensuring adequate funding [...]

DPC Urges Administration to Keep Dialysis Accessible in Obamacare Health Plans

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:06+00:00March 6th, 2014|Categories: Article, Comment Letter, Transportation Services|

DPC recently urged the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to ensure that provider networks in new Affordable Care Act health plans offer convenient access to dialysis facilities. DPC told HHS that “since dialysis patients must typically undergo treatment three times per week, travel to and from a dialysis facility is far more burdensome than travel to physician offices or other sites of care that are visited less frequently. If a health plan limits its network to a single dialysis organization—as we fear some may do, in order to obtain lower prices—patients may not have access to the clinic [...]

DPC Urges Medicare Agency to Withdraw Proposal That Could Weaken Protections for Transplant Patients

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:06+00:00March 6th, 2014|Categories: Access to Transplant, Article, Comment Letter, Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage, Improve Access to Care|

Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) weighed in against a Medicare proposal that would complicate some transplant patients’ access to immunosuppressive drugs. Medicare Part D, like other private health plans, uses drug formularies to keep down costs. Formularies favor certain drugs over others in exchange for discounts. Patients are encouraged to ask their doctors to first prescribe medications on the formulary to take advantage of lower co-pays. Often a patient’s condition can be addressed by a drug on the formulary, but many transplant patients find that “first-line” immunosuppressive treatments aren’t effective or have serious side-effects. For this reason, DPC told CMS: “Immunosuppressive [...]

DPC Expresses Concerns Regarding Changes to the Medicare Advantage and the Medicare Prescription Drug Benefit Programs

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:06+00:00March 5th, 2014|Categories: Access to Transplant, Comment Letter, Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage, Medicare Advantage|

Kidney Community Urges Senate to Contact CMS Regarding Removing Immunosuppressive Protected Class Status

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:07+00:00February 18th, 2014|Categories: Access to Transplant, Comment Letter, Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage|

We Need to Hear From You!

Hannah Bracamonte2024-03-29T02:08:07+00:00February 7th, 2014|Categories: Article, Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage, Increase Quality of Care, Treatment Options|

DPC is currently working on two initiatives that require your input! First, the National Quality Forum is conducting a study of "Person-Centered Care" and is looking for patient input. DPC has volunteered to collect patient viewpoints on this subject, and we are inviting our members and other dialysis patients to share your experience with and insights into the care you've received. The National Quality Forum is an organization that endorses the standardized healthcare performance measures that are used by Medicare and other insurers to monitor quality. Its goal in this project is to figure out how to assess whether care is person-centered, which may [...]

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 [...]

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