Editor:
I was on dialysis — a treatment that kept me alive while my kidneys failed — for five years before receiving a kidney transplant. I was
fortunate to keep private insurance for the first 30 months and then transition to Medicare along with New York’s supplemental coverage.
Medicare’s approach to dialysis care falls short. There was little change in the treatments I received over the years. I, and many others like me, lacked access to innovative treatments that help control phosphorus, prevent itchy skin, manage anemia, and prevent potentially fatal infections. That’s because Medicare reimbursement for new drugs and devices drops off too quickly, discouraging the development of better therapies for patients.
Worse yet, dialysis clinics are underfunded. Every time I visited my dialysis center for checkups, nurses and techs did their best, but it was clear that they needed more resources to provide consistent, high-quality care.
The Kidney Care Access Protection Act offers real solutions. It would prolong Medicare payments for innovative treatments and improve reimbursement to dialysis providers. Patients deserve better than an outdated and underfunded system.
I urge Congress, especially my congresswoman, Elise Stefanik (R-NY), to support this bill and give people on dialysis the care and dignity they deserve.
Keith Plummer, Saratoga Springs, New York
