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Protect Dialysis Patients’ Coverage

2022-12-20T17:27:43+00:00December 18th, 2022|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

I have been on dialysis treatments for almost 13 years due to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Kidney disease can be a lot to handle with frequent dialysis treatments, doctor's appointments, and medications. On top of the medical responsibilities, I must ensure I have the proper insurance coverage. Initially after my diagnosis, I was fortunate to be covered by my wife’s employer-sponsored insurance. However, after 30 months, I had to switch to Medicare as my primary coverage, with my wife’s plan as my secondary coverage. This was often confusing in billing situations and created a hassle for me to explain to [...]

A Huge Thank You to Our Tireless Patient Advocates

2022-10-26T18:21:54+00:00October 26th, 2022|Categories: Article, News, Private Insurance Coverage, Protect Patient Care|

DPC would like to take a moment to thank our tireless group of Members and Patient Ambassadors for continuing to share their personal stories on the importance of supporting H.R. 8594/S. 4750 – The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. From drafting Letters to the Editor to recording video interviews, their words really highlight the need to allow kidney patients to decide which health insurance will best serve them and preserve patient choice. Allowing ESRD patients to stay on their private insurance plan for up to 30 months could help them cover the high costs of care, have access to transplant, [...]

Time is running out: Dialysis patients need Congress to act

2022-10-27T16:37:39+00:00October 26th, 2022|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” are the inalienable rights which our government was created to secure. Thomas Jefferson famously penned these words when authoring the Declaration of Independence, but nearly 250 years later, those rights are at risk for dialysis patients thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling. This June, in Marietta Memorial Hospital Employee Health Benefit Plan v. DaVita Inc., the high court sided with a private insurer that was being sued for limiting its coverage of dialysis to 30 treatments. The court ruled the plan wasn’t discriminating against kidney disease patients, as the 30 treatment threshold applied to [...]

Send lifeline to kidney dialysis patients

2022-10-11T13:07:20+00:00October 11th, 2022|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

At 21, I was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease, which meant my kidneys were failing. Until my diagnosis, I was completely healthy, in the middle of nursing school and working full time. The onset of this disease was the beginning of a series of hospitalizations, surgeries and dialysis treatments. I began dialysis while I waited for my kidney transplant. I needed these treatments not only to live, but so I could finish nursing school and eventually return to full-time work. One of the biggest challenges beyond my health issues was insurance coverage. This problem could potentially worsen for dialysis patients with [...]

Equal Justice Remains Elusive for Kidney Patients. Congress Can Help.

2022-10-04T15:04:41+00:00October 4th, 2022|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

Four simple words sit above the entrance to the Supreme Court: “Equal Justice Under Law.” That short phrase, though, carries immense weight. It is a promise to the American people that we will receive fair treatment in our justice system, and serves as a principle to guide people in power. For dialysis patients – who already face massive health disparities – it’s a promise that might go unfulfilled following a Supreme Court decision earlier this year that could open the door for health insurance companies to discriminate against them. In Marietta Memorial Hospital Employee Health Benefit Plan v. DaVita Inc., the Court ruled [...]

DPC Continues Outreach to Protect Patients’ Rights

2022-09-20T17:33:33+00:00September 6th, 2022|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Private Insurance Coverage, Protect Patient Care, Take Action, Treatment Options|

DPC Members and Patient Ambassadors continue advocacy on H.R. 8594/S. 4750 - The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act, which would codify into law the right for dialysis patients to stay on their private insurance for up to 30 months, if they should so choose. This bill not only preserves patient choice but also encourages insurers to detect and treat kidney disease early and, most importantly, protects kidney disease patients from discrimination. This legislation reinstates the importance of allowing kidney patients to decide which health insurance will best serve them. For more information, to watch patient testimonials, or to take action, [...]

Congress needs to protect kidney patients following Supreme Court decision

2022-09-19T16:11:59+00:00August 28th, 2022|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

I recently joined other dialysis patients in meetings with Congress to discuss the challenges we face. One of the key topics we covered was how hard it is for patients to get access to the benefits and coverage we need just to survive. Those challenges are about to get much bigger for many patients after a recent Supreme Court decision. The decision could limit benefits and make it easier for private insurers to move patients off their employer-sponsored coverage and onto Medicare before the traditional 30-month point after they are diagnosed, limiting patients’ access to benefits Medicare doesn’t cover for [...]

Action Alert – Protect ESRD Patient Access to Private Coverage

2022-08-19T18:34:00+00:00August 19th, 2022|Categories: Article, Private Insurance Coverage, Protect Patient Care, Take Action|

Ask your representative to co-sponsor H.R. 8594/S. 4750, legislation that would protect ESRD patients by allowing them to maintain private, employer health coverage up to 30 months after diagnosis with kidney failure. A recent Supreme Court ruling now threatens their access to private coverage by permitting health plans to carve off dialysis benefits from their networks and impose restrictive terms on kidney patients.  The continuation of high-quality care and benefits during this 30-month coordination period helps kidney patient’s successfully transition into life on dialysis and/or kidney transplantation. Leave your legacy through advocacy and urge your representative to co-sponsor this life-saving legislation and restore the protections [...]

Dialysis patients counting on Congress

2022-09-20T19:50:15+00:00August 8th, 2022|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage, Spotlight|

It’s quite the experience being a kidney patient on dialysis. There’s always new information to monitor and communication to track between various medical providers, dialysis centers, and health insurance entities. It’s important for patients to educate themselves on kidney disease to best serve themselves and others who are on dialysis. One area of dialysis that can be hard to navigate is health care coverage. As both a dialysis patient and transplant recipient, I’ve been fortunate to have both employer-sponsored insurance and coverage through the Department of Veterans Affairs. It’s essential that dialysis patients can remain on employer-sponsored insurance for 30 [...]

Dialysis Patient Citizens Applauds New Legislation Prohibiting Discrimination Against Dialysis Patients

2022-08-04T18:43:25+00:00August 1st, 2022|Categories: Medicare Advantage, Press Release, Private Insurance Coverage, Protect Patient Care|

WASHINGTON, D.C. (August 1, 2022) -- Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) today released the following statement applauding the introduction of H.R. 8594 by Representatives Yvette Clarke (D-NY-9), Buddy Carter (R-GA-1), Jodey Arrington, (R-TX-19), and Danny Davis (D-IL-7) to prohibit discrimination against dialysis patients in insurance coverage. “We thank Representatives Clarke, Carter, Arrington, and Davis for introducing this essential piece of legislation that will protect dialysis patients from facing unjust discrimination in their health coverage,” said DPC Board President Andrew Conkling. “Dialysis patients have a right to continue on employer-provided plans for 30 months after being diagnosed with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), [...]

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