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Letter to the editor: Restore protections for dialysis patients

2024-06-20T14:11:17+00:00June 18th, 2024|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

My father’s battle with end-stage renal disease changed our family’s life. I cared for him as he endured dialysis for two years, showing immense courage. He received two transplants, including one of my kidneys, but sadly, he passed away. In his memory, I now advocate for kidney patients and am pursuing a master’s degree in physiology at Georgetown University. Dialysis patients like my father often face financial hardships. As a business owner, he paid up to $1,400 monthly for private insurance to receive better treatment options than state insurance could provide. Previously, end-stage renal disease patients could keep their private [...]

Help dialysis patients

2024-06-26T15:59:01+00:00June 13th, 2024|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

Dear Editor: Kidney failure runs in my family, so I knew that my chances of experiencing kidney failure were high. I received the heartbreaking and scary diagnosis in 2004 and soon after I began dialysis, the sole treatment outside of a kidney transplant. I received a kidney transplant after an exhausting 13 years on dialysis. When I was first diagnosed, I relied on employer-provided private insurance to cover my healthcare expenses. After two years I transitioned to Medicare, and I currently rely on Medicare and private insurance. Although I consistently pay high premiums out-of-pocket, private insurance has allowed me to [...]

Rep. Pallone: Help NJ’s dialysis patients

2024-06-17T14:06:39+00:00June 9th, 2024|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

Being diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease, ESRD, or kidney failure, changed my life. Suddenly, I needed intravenous treatment three times per week to survive. Like so many ESRD patients, I had to uproot my life to receive treatment. I kept my job during my dialysis journey, working six hours a day and receiving treatment afterwards. I was perpetually exhausted — but I got through it. Adding to the challenges ESRD patients like me face, a recent Supreme Court decision allows private insurers to push high-cost consumers like ESRD patients off of their plans prematurely, even if they are employed. [...]

Dialysis needs

2024-06-05T17:59:41+00:00June 2nd, 2024|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

After I received a kidney transplant, I wrote a letter to the family of my donor expressing my immense gratitude. My journey with end stage renal disease took a toll, and the transplant marked a new beginning. I moved to Kansas City, began working full time and started a family. I received dialysis — a treatment three times per week to replace my kidney function — for almost seven years before receiving a transplant. I am extremely thankful for dialysis, but it was exhausting. I qualified for Medicare and Medicaid for the entirety of my dialysis journey, but others rely [...]

Kidney patients need protections restored

2024-05-21T16:30:13+00:00May 21st, 2024|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

I was 14 when my father was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease, or kidney failure. I witnessed the suffering, anxiety, and helplessness the disease brought upon my family. I also witnessed the financial burden of medical bills, which became unaffordable once my father was forced off of his marketplace insurance. Traditionally, private insurance companies cover dialysis for 30 months after an individual starts treatment, providing patients with the opportunity to focus on their health rather than worrying about their finances. However, a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling weakens these protections, which could lead to more insurers kicking kidney failure [...]

DPC’s 2024 Advocacy Day

2024-05-23T14:34:34+00:00May 20th, 2024|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Get Involved, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Medigap Coverage, News, Patient Ambassadors, Private Insurance Coverage, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care|

Earlier this month, DPC hosted our annual Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. where we bring together patients, family members, and care givers to meet with their Members of Congress to elevate the patient story for dialysis patients. This year we had 65 advocates attend, representing 25 states, who had almost 80 Congressional meetings. Our patients spoke to Congressional offices asking them to support H.R. 6860 – The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act and H.R. 5027 – The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act. These two bills would allow dialysis patients access to private insurance and Medigap [...]

Buchanan Can Help Dialysis Patients

2024-07-25T17:32:55+00:00May 16th, 2024|Categories: Featured Spotlight, Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage, Spotlight|

I have kidney failure, and I need dialysis to survive. Dialysis is a treatment which removes excess water and toxins from my blood because my kidneys do not function naturally anymore. It has been a challenge, and my body is still getting used to the frequent treatment which wears down my body. Dialysis patients already worry enough about their physical condition. They should not have to worry about finances too. Sadly, they do. I was lucky to be retired and have sufficient coverage when I began dialysis, but I know people who struggle to pay. Some have private insurance, but [...]

Help dialysis patients

2024-06-27T14:47:14+00:00May 7th, 2024|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage, Spotlight|

End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), commonly called kidney failure, changed my life. I was first diagnosed with kidney disease in 2014, and my kidneys totally failed in 2020 after a battle with covid-19. I relied on dialysis, the treatment which replaced my kidneys' blood-filtering function, from 2020 until August of 2023 when I received a kidney transplant. As an ESRD patient advocate lucky enough to have received a transplant, I feel obligated to call on Congressman French Hill to help future dialysis patients afford lifesaving dialysis care. He can do so by supporting the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. [...]

Support the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act

2024-05-09T19:56:55+00:00May 6th, 2024|Categories: Patient Stories in the News, Private Insurance Coverage|

Kidney failure, or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), affects Americans of all ages. I was 14 years old when I received my diagnosis. I’ve been on dialysis for many years and have received two transplants in the process, but perhaps more stressful than dialysis has been paying for all my healthcare expenses. I’ve relied on private insurance for much of my ESRD journey. After my second transplant, I had private insurance that proved essential once my transplant failed and I needed to stay in the hospital. I eventually transitioned to Medicare, but did not qualify for Medicaid, and Medicare only pays [...]

Pass Restore in ‘24

2024-05-23T14:33:35+00:00May 6th, 2024|Categories: Article, News, Private Insurance Coverage, Promote Financial Security|

Becky's daughter Dianne relied heavily on her insurance coverage that paid to treat all of her complications and extended her time with her two children. Becky's story is why Congressman Mike Kelly is fighting for the entire kidney community to ensure access to coverage for all dialysis patients. Thank you Rep. Kelly for your efforts to Pass Restore in '24. Learn more about Private Insurance Coverage and view the video.

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