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Advocacy Day 2027 Applications Are Open!

2026-10-22T14:27:41+00:00October 19th, 2026|Categories: Article, Get Involved, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Policy Issues, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care, Take Action|

Applications for DPC’s 2027 Advocacy Day are now live! Be sure to submit your application for a chance to come to Washington, D.C., May 10 - 11, 2027, 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 application by [...]

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Make Your Voice Heard and Help Get RESTORE Passed!

2026-10-22T14:25:46+00:00October 15th, 2026|Categories: Article, Get Involved, Private Insurance Coverage, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care, Take Action|

The Momentum Is Growing. The Work Is Not Done. With more than 90 Congressional cosponsors, bipartisan support for the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act (H.R. 2199/S. 1173) continues to grow. But support alone is not enough. The next step is turning that momentum into legislative action. For individuals living with kidney failure, access to quality, affordable healthcare is more than a policy issue. It is about stability, choice, and peace of mind for patients and their families. The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act would help protect dialysis patients' ability to maintain their private health insurance coverage during the [...]

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Take Action Today!

2026-09-22T16:51:30+00:00September 21st, 2026|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Get Involved, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Innovation, News, Policy Issues, Private Insurance Coverage, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care, State Advocacy, Treatment Options|

In light of last week’s hearing, DPC would like to encourage our members to help keep the momentum going. Visit our kidneyaction.org website to learn more about the Kidney Care Access Protection Act (S. 2730 / H.R. 6214) and the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act (H.R. 2199/S. 1173), and easily contact your member of Congress to ask them to support these two very important pieces of legislation. Thank you for helping to elevate the voice of kidney patients across the country! Take Action Now

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House Hearing on Healthcare Issues Considers Kidney Care Bills

2026-09-21T18:56:24+00:00September 16th, 2026|Categories: Article, Increase Quality of Care, Innovation, Medicare Advantage, News, Policy Issues, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care|

A September 15th hearing of the House Energy and Commerce Committee titled Examining Legislative Proposals to Reform Medicare Provider Payment had an important DPC priority on its agenda. In his opening statement, Congressman Morgan Griffith (VA-09), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Health, mentioned that “two bills before us today are the Kidney Care Access Protection Act and the Keeping Individuals with Dialysis Needs Equipped through Year-round Remote Monitoring Act, which both aim to improve care access for individuals affected by kidney disease.” HR 6214, the Kidney Care Access Protection Act, is one of DPC’s top advocacy priorities. The bill would ensure [...]

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DPC Responds to Medicare Dialysis Payment Rule

2026-08-26T14:47:07+00:00August 26th, 2026|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Comment Letter, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, News, Policy Issues, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care|

DPC submitted comments on Medicare’s proposed payment update for 2027. DPC urged CMS to change its current policies, which continue to cause financial stress to dialysis care, staffing shortages, and lack of patient access to new and innovative therapies. For 2027, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) is proposing to increase the ESRD PPS base rate to $299.55, which will increase total payments to ESRD facilities by approximately 1.1%. However, DPC notes, the current inflation rate is 3.4%, the Wall Street Journal’s expert panel of economists forecasts 3.4% inflation for the next year, and the most recent producer price [...]

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DPC’s Letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator at Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, on CMS-1846-P: CY 2027 Changes to the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System, Acute Kidney Injury Dialysis (AKI) Payment, and ESRD Quality Incentive Program

2026-08-25T14:49:06+00:00August 24th, 2026|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Comment Letter, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care|

August 24, 2026 The Honorable Mehmet Oz, Administrator Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services 200 Independence Avenue, SW Washington, DC 20001 Re:       CMS-1846-P: CY 2027 Changes to the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) Prospective Payment System, Acute Kidney Injury Dialysis (AKI) Payment, and ESRD Quality Incentive Program Dear Dr. Oz Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) offers comments on the above referenced 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 [...]

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NCSL 2026 Recap

2026-08-26T14:49:42+00:00August 3rd, 2026|Categories: Article, Medigap Coverage, News, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care, State Advocacy|

The National Conference of State Legislators (NCSL) welcomed more than 7,000 attendees to its Legislative Summit in Chicago July 27-29. DPC was thrilled to participate in this bipartisan event as part of our legislative advocacy work at the state level. Megan Hashbarger, Senior Vice President of Government Relations, and State Advocacy Directors, Elizabeth Lively and Pamela Zielske, attended the event and shared updates on DPC’s critically important work in the states to increase access to affordable Medigap coverage. Over the course of the Summit, we heard numerous stories from attendees who have family members or friends facing kidney disease. Legislators or [...]

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Advocacy Day 2026

2026-07-23T14:32:39+00:00July 20th, 2026|Categories: Advance Patient Choice, Article, Get Involved, Improve Access to Care, Increase Quality of Care, Innovation, Medigap Coverage, News, Patient Ambassadors, Policy Issues, Private Insurance Coverage, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care|

During June 29th – 30th, DPC hosted our annual Advocacy Day in Washington, D.C. bringing together patients, family members, and care partners to meet with their Members of Congress to help elevate the dialysis patient voice. This year, 62 advocates attended our fly-in from 29 states, meeting with more than 90 Members of Congress and/or their staff. Advocates spoke with their Senators and Representative urging support for the Restore Act (H.R. 2199/S. 1173), which would allow patients to keep their private insurance coverage for the full 30-month transition period, and for the Kidney Care Access Protection Act (S. 2730 / H.R. 6214), [...]

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Patient Advocates Head to D.C.

2026-06-24T15:39:03+00:00June 24th, 2026|Categories: About DPC, Get Involved, Improve Access to Care, Patient Ambassadors, Policy Issues, Promote Financial Security, Protect Patient Care, Take Action|

DPC is excited to welcome this year’s group of patient advocates to Washington, D.C. June 29th – 30th for our Annual Advocacy Day Event. Our advocates will be meeting with their representatives on the Hill to discuss two very important pieces of legislation for kidney patients:  S. 2730 / H.R. 6214 – The Kidney Care Access Protection Act and H.R. 2199 / S. 1173 – The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. If you have not yet done so, please take a moment to urge your representatives to co-sponsor these two bills. Access to innovation and private insurance are critical to [...]

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New CO Kidney Bill Signed Into Law

2026-05-28T13:59:41+00:00May 27th, 2026|Categories: Article, News, Protect Patient Care, State Advocacy|

Colorado Governor Jared Polis recently signed House Bill 26-1019, the Kidney Screening Mandatory Preventive Coverage Act, into law. This important legislation adds kidney function screening services as mandated preventive health-care services for which insurance policies in the state must provide total-cost coverage, without cost sharing or co-payments. Coverage for kidney function screening services will be implemented for all large employer health benefit policies issued or renewed in Colorado on or after January 1, 2027, and coverage will be implemented for all individual and small group health benefit plans issued or renewed in the state on or after January 1, 2028. By requiring qualifying health plans to cover [...]

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