Dialysis Funding
With 82% of dialysis patients relying on Medicare, and nearly half of those patients also on Medicaid, the importance of adequate government funding for this life sustaining care cannot be overstated. In the meantime, Medicare now pays a single “bundled” rate for most dialysis services, including: dialysis center staff, dialysis machines, filters, injectable medications and soon, oral-only medications. As a result, any arbitrary cut can have a devastating impact on the quality of care patients receive, staffing at their facilities or even the ability of facilities to keep their doors open. DPC continues to be a strong advocate for Medicare (and all other payers) to cover the full cost of dialysis care.
Related Information
Supreme Court Erases Kidney Patients’ Insurance Protections
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling has nullified the law that protects dialysis patients from discrimination by insurers, threatening the system of financing kidney care that has stood for 40 years. The Court ruled that employer [...]
DPC Files Amicus Brief in Supreme Court Case
DPC filed a “friend of the court” brief in the U.S. Supreme Court case of Marietta Memorial Hospital v. DaVita. The case involves a dialysis patient whose employer-sponsored health insurance plan tied reimbursements for [...]
2021 Annual Survey Last Call!
24 hours remain to complete our survey. Make sure to complete your survey for a chance at one of 10 remaining $100 gift certificates. Our 2021 Annual Membership Survey is live, and it will remain [...]
Both Sides of the Aisle Agree – We Need to Help Kidney Patients
On June 8, 2021, Senators Benjamin Cardin (D-MA) and Roy Blunt (R-MO) re-introduced The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act (S.1971), a bipartisan, bicameral bill designed to not only raise awareness of [...]
New Year, New Administration Brings Changes to Medicare’s Kidney Demonstration Projects
2021 was supposed to mark the beginning of three new Medicare programs to demonstrate innovations in kidney care, but a last-minute decision from the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation has suspended two of [...]
In Rejecting Prop 23, California Voters Protect Patient Access to Care
California voters overwhelmingly opposed Proposition 23, a statewide measure that threatened dialysis patient access to care. It was the second ballot measure in California proposed by a labor union in the last two years [...]