The life of a dialysis patient is one of constant uncertainty. I could not continue working when I started dialysis, as is the case for many other patients.
Thankfully, my spouse’s private insurance helped cover the treatment costs. Without private insurance, I would have been on the hook for thousands of dollars. I also could have lost my amazing in-network doctors and the option for at-home dialysis. In short, I would have had a completely different journey through kidney failure.
It is critical that kidney patients have the option to keep their private insurance for as long as possible on dialysis. However, a recent Supreme Court decision may allow private insurance to weaken coverage and push patients onto Medicare sooner than expected.
I urge legislators in Congress to pass a bill that would let dialysis patients stay on their private insurance for 30 months after they begin treatment, as we could before. We have a flawed healthcare system, but no dialysis patient should have to bankrupt themselves to pay for life-saving healthcare.
Gabriel Cooper, Camarillo, California
