As a caregiver for my late father-in-law on dialysis – the only treatment for kidney failure outside of a transplant – I saw firsthand how taxing kidney disease can
be.
My wife, a nurse, handled his home dialysis treatments day after day. I helped wherever I could – driving him to appointments, shaving him when he could no longer manage, and offering the emotional support both he and my wife needed. Dialysis didn’t just affect him. It shaped our entire family’s life. We gave everything to help him stay home, stay comfortable, and maintain his dignity. Thankfully, he had sufficient coverage as a veteran. But I also know patients like him struggled with affordability.
That’s why I’m standing up as an advocate and urging Congress to pass the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act. It would allow new dialysis patients to keep their private insurance, if they have it, for the first 30 months of care. It would give them better access to doctors, medications, and transplant opportunities. It’s essential, especially since new dialysis patients are threatened following a recent Supreme Court decision allowing private insurers to push patients off of their plans prematurely.
Rep. Betty McCollum has shown deep care for families like mine. We’re grateful she helped nominate our son to West Point. I hope she’ll now help families dealing with kidney disease by supporting this critical bill! Thank you!
Jeff Banks, St. Paul, Minnesota
