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 months after diagnosis before being forced to switch to Medicare. Private insurance often provides crucial access to high-quality care. However, due to the Supreme Court’s recent decision, dialysis patients are no longer protected from being kicked off their private insurance during this time frame. Congress must now protect dialysis patients’ ability to stay on their chosen insurance plans during these 30 months. I am calling on Congresswoman Veronica Escobar to support legislation protecting kidney patients and their right to stay on employer-sponsored health coverage. Dialysis patients everywhere are counting on Congress to help them.
Michael Thompson, El Paso, TX
