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Action Alert – Protect ESRD Patient Access to Private Coverage |
In December, The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act (H.R. 6860) was introduced by Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Neal Dunn, MD (R-FL), Danny Davis (D-IL), John Joyce, MD (R-PA) and Raul Ruiz, MD (D-CA) to help ensure that ESRD patients can stay on the insurance coverage of their choice.
A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision threatens access to private coverage by permitting health plans to carve off dialysis benefits from their networks and impose restrictive terms on patients. This legislation would restore the protections Congress intended to guarantee for over 40 years.
DPC has been compiling Letters to the Editor and testimonials from our members explaining how important this legislation is to patients. Please add your voice to our efforts by contacting you Legislator to encourage them to support this bill. It takes less than a minute to ensure Congress hears from you through our Action Center. |
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| DPC Recognizes Patients and Dialysis Staff as Part of its 20th Anniversary Celebration |
In January, DPC kicked off a year-long 20th Anniversary celebration by recognizing one of our outstanding patient advocates, and thanked dialysis facility staff who go above “the extra mile” to provide exceptional care, even in the face of recent staffing shortages. Gene Blankenship was the recipient of DPC’s inaugural Patient Advocacy Champion Award
for his work in advocating for dialysis patients with his elected officials. DPC also awarded its inaugural Dialysis Dynamo awards
to Amanda Byrd, AA/CCHT, Alicia Caldwell, RN, CDN, Sean Scearce, PA, and Marcy Stites, RN, for their hard work providing 5-star quality care for an underserved, rural community of dialysis patients on the Cherokee reservation in Oklahoma. |
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DPC Advocates Make Their Voices Heard! |
DPC’s patient advocates are working hard to make their voices heard through media outreach, by sharing their stories through op-eds and letters to the editor. Coast to coast, patients are letting their local legislators know about the issues that are important to them, and how their votes in Congress affect their lives. |
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Patient Ambassador Spotlight:
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Check out our Patient Ambassador Spotlight, where we highlight members who elevate the voices of people with kidney disease. This month’s Spotlight is on Darren Lyons from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Darren was diagnosed with kidney disease in 2017 and, while he has been able to continue working, it is still a struggle to pay his increased medical bills along with all of his other regular expenses. That said Darren knows that he is fortunate to be able to make ends meet, which is not the case for many other patients. Recently, a decision made by the U.S. Supreme Court weakened protections for dialysis patients by allowing private insurance to lessen coverage and force patients onto Medicare before the traditional 30-month grace period. The problem is that Medicare only covers 80% of a dialysis patient’s bill, meaning patients are on the hook for the remaining 20%.
No dialysis patient should have to bankrupt themselves to pay for life-saving healthcare, which is why Darren and many other patients are asking Congress to pass H.R. 6860 - The Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act, and protect dialysis patients’ access to private insurance.
Patient Ambassadors represent DPC by serving as leaders in their community and local dialysis facilities. Learn more about this critical role and make a difference in the lives of dialysis patients by applying for DPC's Patient Ambassador program. |
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