At just 25 years old, I was diagnosed with renal failure caused by systemic lupus and immediately began dialysis. I was pregnant, undergoing chemotherapy and
fighting for my life. The last thing I should have had to worry about was losing my health insurance.
But I was terrified. My private insurance through Blue Cross BlueShield was the only thing standing between my family and financial ruin. My husband and I even discussed divorcing on paper just to protect him from bankruptcy. No one facing a life-threatening diagnosis should ever have to consider something like that.
After 14 months of dialysis, I received a kidney transplant from my brother. Today, I am nine years post-transplant and the mother of a healthy 6-year-old daughter, born on my three-year transplant anniversary. I am one of the lucky ones.
That’s why a recent Supreme Court decision allowing private insurers to push dialysis patients off their private plans and onto Medicare early is so alarming. Losing private coverage mid-treatment can mean crushing out-of-pocket costs and disrupted care at the most critical moment of a person’s life — not to mention the disruption this causes to dependents who would not be transitioning to Medicare.
I urge the Nebraska congressional delegation to support the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. This bill would guarantee patients the traditional 30 months of private coverage before transitioning to Medicare. Dialysis patients deserve the chance to focus on surviving, not on going bankrupt.
Cassie Bertwell, Lincoln, Nebraska
