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One Week Left to Apply – 2026 Advocacy Day

2026-01-21T19:32:39+00:00January 21st, 2026|Categories: Article, Get Involved, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Policy Issues, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care|

Applications for DPC’s 2026 Advocacy Day are due next Friday, January 30th! Be sure to submit your application for a chance to come to Washington, D.C., June 29 – 30, 2026, and speak with your members of Congress about important pieces of legislation that will help improve the lives of kidney patients. Participants will be selected based on the quality of their application, legislative priorities, and previous involvement in DPC's advocacy efforts. We will hold a training session ahead of our advocacy day for those participating to explain the process and review the legislation. If you are interested, please complete the [...]

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Open Enrollment Deadlines for Texas Dialysis Patients

2026-01-21T19:35:03+00:00January 12th, 2026|Categories: Article, Medicare Advantage, Medigap Coverage, State Advocacy|

In a major victory for under age 65 Texans living on dialysis, House Bill 2516 became law in 2025. HB 2516 provides access for under-age 65 dialysis patients to purchase affordable Medigap insurance plans A, B and D at the same premium rate as those who are age 65. The remaining Medigap lettered plans are available at 200% of the age 65 premium. This legislation impacts not only individuals who have just started dialysis and enrolled in Medicare Part B, but it also includes a one-time, 6-month open enrollment window for dialysis patients who are already enrolled in Medicare Part B. This [...]

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Giving Thanks

2025-11-25T18:09:52+00:00November 25th, 2025|Categories: About DPC, Advance Patient Choice, Article, Dialysis Funding, Get Involved, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Innovation, News, Patient Ambassadors, Patient's Voice, Policy Issues, Press, Private Insurance Coverage, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care, Treatment Options|

As we approach Thanksgiving this week, DPC would like to take a moment to thank all of our phenomenal Board Members, Patient Ambassadors, and kidney advocates for sharing their stories and fighting to improve the quality of life for dialysis and kidney transplant patients nationwide. DPC Board Members Hasan Artharee and Ken Stephens recently shared videos on their kidney journeys and two important pieces of legislation that are currently in Congress that would have a major impact on patient quality of life. As a fourth-generation PKD patient and the third in his family to undergo dialysis, Hasan knows firsthand the challenges [...]

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Upcoming Open Enrollment Deadlines for Nevada Dialysis Patients

2025-10-29T18:34:36+00:00October 29th, 2025|Categories: Article, Medicare Advantage, Medigap Coverage, Protect Patient Care, State Advocacy|

In a major victory for under age 65 Nevadans living on dialysis, Senate Bill 292 became law earlier this year. SB 292 provides access for under-age 65 dialysis patients to purchase affordable Medigap insurance plans A, B and D at the same premium rate as those who are age 65. The remaining Medigap lettered plans are available at 200% of the age 65 premium. This legislation impacts not only individuals who have just started dialysis and enrolled in Medicare Part B, but it also includes a one-time, 6-month open enrollment window for dialysis patients who are already enrolled in Medicare Part [...]

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Ongoing Government Shutdown

2025-10-29T14:39:54+00:00October 6th, 2025|Categories: Article, Medicare Advantage, News, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care|

The federal government is currently shut down due to a spending impasse in Congress over extending Affordable Care Act subsidies and restoring Medicaid cuts in H.R.1, the reconciliation bill passed in July. It is unclear how long the shutdown will last.  The shutdown halts many of the federal government’s “nonessential” functions, but your benefits under entitlement programs such as Medicaid and Medicare continue. According to communications from the Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) sent to patient advocates (10/1/25), 1-800-MEDICARE will continue to operate as usual. State Health Insurance Assistance Programs (SHIPs) should be able to continue their regular program activities but designated [...]

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DPC Comment Letter to CMS Recounts Heartbreaking Story of Rural Dialysis Clinic Closure

2025-08-28T13:48:55+00:00August 28th, 2025|Categories: Comment Letter, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, Innovation, Policy Issues, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care, Quality Incentive Program, Staffing Shortages, Treatment Options|

DPC has submitted its comments responding to this year’s Medicare ESRD Payment Rule. The Medicare agency is proposing a payment update of only 1.9%, which doesn’t keep pace with increasing costs. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, compensation costs for civilian workers increased 3.6 percent for the 12-month period ending in June, while inflation was 2.7%. The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission recently reported that dialysis clinics’ Medicare margin was –1.1 percent in 2022 and –0.2 percent in 2023. They project a 2025 FFS Medicare margin of 0 percent. The comment letter brought officials’ attention to the story of a [...]

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DPC’s Letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, on ESRD Prospective Payment System

2025-09-11T17:44:31+00:00August 27th, 2025|Categories: Comment Letter, Dialysis Funding, Improve Access to Care, Innovation, Policy Issues, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care, Quality Incentive Program, Staffing Shortages, Treatment Options|

August 27, 2025 The Honorable Mehmet Oz Administrator Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 200 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC  20001 Re: CMS-1830-P - End-Stage Renal Disease Prospective Payment System  Dear Dr. Oz: Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) writes to offer its comments on the above referenced proposed rule. DPC's membership, currently about 35,000, is restricted to kidney disease patients and their family members. DPC is a patient-led organization.  Our by-laws require that the President, Vice President and at least 51% of the Board be current dialysis patients.  The non-dialysis patients serving on our Board are former dialysis patients with kidney [...]

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DPC’s 2025 Advocacy Day

2025-07-23T14:55:01+00:00July 23rd, 2025|Categories: About DPC, Advance Patient Choice, Article, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Medigap Coverage, Patient Ambassadors, Private Insurance Coverage, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care|

Last week, 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 36 advocates attend, representing 24 states, who had over 80 Congressional meetings. Our patients spoke to their congressional leaders and encouraged their support for the Restore Act (H.R. 2199/S. 1173) and for the Kidney Care Access Protection Act (KCAPA), which is expected to be introduced soon. In doing so, they helped to elevate the voices of the ESRD community nationwide. Additionally, [...]

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DPC’s Letter to Mr. Abe Sutton, Deputy Administrator at Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation, on CKCC Revisions

2025-07-09T18:20:20+00:00July 9th, 2025|Categories: Comment Letter, Improve Access to Care, Policy Issues, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care|

July 9, 2025 Mr. Abe Sutton, Deputy Administrator Center for Medicare & Medicaid Innovation 7500 Security Boulevard Baltimore, MD  21244 Re: CKCC Revisions Dear Mr. Sutton: We are writing to protest the recent changes to the CKCC model that manifest a reduced CMMI commitment to integrated kidney care. As a former CMMI staffer, a consumer representative on the governing body of one the CKCC sites, and a longtime health policy analyst and patient advocate, I can see CMMI programs from a global perspective, and what I see is a relegation of our patient population to a second-tier focus despite it being [...]

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Dialysis Patient Citizens Applauds Texas Legislature for Passing Historic Bill Expanding Affordable Medigap Access for Dialysis and ALS Patients

2025-06-24T17:52:36+00:00June 23rd, 2025|Categories: Medigap Coverage, Patient Ambassadors, Press Release, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care, State Advocacy|

Austin, TX (June 23, 2025) – House Bill 2516 has become public law, a significant victory for Texans living with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD), or kidney failure, and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). The legislation, championed by Representative Ryan Guillen (R-TX-31), received overwhelming bipartisan support in the Texas State Legislature, passing the House with a 133-4 vote and the Senate unanimously. The law guarantees that ESRD and ALS patients under the age of 65 can access affordable Medigap insurance. Specifically, Medigap Plans A, B, and D will be available at the same premium rate as for those age 65, while the [...]

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