DPC Highlights CMS Proposed Rule Including Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Programs
Via Electronic Submission Acting Administrator Tavenner Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Department of Health and Human Services P.O. Box 8016 Baltimore, MD 21244 Re: CMS-2334-P: Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Programs, and Exchanges: Essential Health Benefits in Alternative Benefit Plans, Eligibility Notices, Fair Hearing and Appeal Processes for Medicaid and Exchange Eligibility Appeals and Other Provisions Related to Eligibility and Enrollment for Exchanges, Medicaid and CHIP, and Medicaid Premiums and Cost Sharing Dear Acting Administrator Tavenner: Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) appreciates the opportunity to comment on the proposed rule entitled “Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Programs, and Exchanges: Essential Health Benefits [...]
DPC Comments on Medicaid Advantage Drive Times
January 24, 2013 Jonathan Blum Deputy Administrator and Director for the Center of Medicare Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Department of Health and Human Services Room 314G 200 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20201 Re: Medicaid Advantage Drive Times for ESRD Patients Dear Mr. Blum: On behalf of more than 24,000 Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) members and over 400,000 end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients currently on dialysis, thank you for your leadership at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). As the nation’s largest patient-led organization representing dialysis patients, DPC’s membership consists of dialysis and pre-dialysis patients and their [...]
Congressional Corner: Over the Cliff – Then Quickly Back Up Again
By Carrie L., Director of Congressional and State Relations Well, we went over the fiscal cliff. And then, just hours later a deal was struck, a few hours late but a deal to bring us back from the brink nonetheless. The 112th Congress concluded its tumultuous, and gridlocked 2 years by passing a deal to avoid massive tax hikes for the middle class and a 27% decrease in payments to Medicare providers on New Year’s Day. Unfortunately, cuts to the Medicare ESRD program were still included in the fiscal cliff package. The deal calls on the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid [...]
Congressional Corner: A Year of DPC Advocacy Successes!
By Carrie L., Director of Congressional and State Relations As 2012 comes to an end, DPC has a lot to celebrate and a lot to look forward to. DPC staff and most importantly our members, have achieved so much this year, bringing awareness to kidney disease issues both in Congress and in their communities! Patient Ambassadors held dozens of kidney and dialysis awareness events across the country in support of World Kidney Day and other events throughout the year. Patient Ambassadors taught members of their churches and civic organizations as well as youth in schools about the importance of keeping your [...]
From the Welcome Desk at DPC: November
By Stephen C., Administrative Assistant Hello all! I hope everyone’s doing well and you’re all ready for a wonderful (renal-friendly) holiday season. This week, I wanted to share my experience visiting the kind folks at ESRD Network 11 in Milwaukee for their annual meeting. I had a great time talking with nurses and patients about everything we do at DPC. I think my favorite moment during the whole event was when a nurse approached our table and asked me if we were doing anything about immunosuppressant drug coverage for transplant patients. She explained that the lack of immunosuppressant coverage was causing [...]
Changes are Coming to Kidney Transplant Allocation Policies
By Jessica N., Director of Public Affairs When DPC weighs in on policy proposals, we aim to speak on behalf of the people that we represent. This means that periodically we look to all of you to let us know how you feel about certain changes and how you think they will affect your care…and this is one of those times. Recently, the Organ Procurement Transplant Network (OPTN) and United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) released a proposal to change the way kidney transplants are allocated. The proposal makes several key modifications to current policy that could have an impact [...]
Health Reform Implementation Continues at the State Level
By Carrie L., Director of Congressional and State Relations I have the unenviable job of trying to make state health reform both easy to understand and interesting, but I have given it my best shot. In this article I will be discussing two topics that are important for kidney disease patients, essential health benefit benchmark plans and the formation of state-based health insurance exchanges. State governments and health reform boards have been busy over the past couple of months determining how they will deal with implementing the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in their states. Deadlines have come and gone for [...]