Patient Stories
Stay up-to-date on the latest kidney care news with letters to the editor and op-eds written by our members.
Dialysis
Ten years ago while working for an airline my life changed. I was diagnosed with kidney failure, and I learned I'd need dialysis to survive. Eight years of dialysis and a transplant later, I am writing now to advocate for kidney patients everywhere. For three years, I received dialysis in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Despite initial difficulties, my dialysis [...]
Local View: Bridging the Medigap
Published in the Lincoln Journal Star We hear endless stories in the news about challenges in our health care system, but oftentimes the effects feel abstract. As someone who has dedicated their career to improving the medical care and outcomes of patients with kidney disease through transplantation, I’ve seen firsthand how devastating kidney failure can be, particularly for Nebraskans [...]
Nebraska resident rallies for LB-32
NEBRASKA -- Fifteen states do not require insurers to offer Medigap policies to people under 65 who are already enrolled through Medicare according to AARP. Medigap helps patients to afford deductibles and other out-of-pocket costs with policies such as Medicare Part B. However, Nebraska is one of those states that doesn't require it to be offered, to the shock [...]
New bill offers hope for Nebraskans with kidney disease struggling to afford coverage
We are in a critical moment for health care in Nebraska. According to the Nebraska Hospital Association, health care costs are on the rise and likely to stay high, in part due to inflation affecting hospital equipment, labor shortages and other factors. As these costs rise, hospitals are overflowing with patients despite falling numbers of COVID-19 cases. These pressures add up to [...]
Local View: Time to close the Medigap
Oct. 10, 2018 marked the start of an incredibly difficult period for my family. That was the day my husband Steve left our home in North Platte to move to North Dakota – more than 10 hours away – just so we could pay for the medical care I needed to fight multiple sclerosis. I was diagnosed with MS [...]
No Escaping Kidney Disease
To the Editor: Life with kidney disease is all I’ve ever known. I was born with this hidden illness and started receiving dialysis treatments at just 25 years old. Over the years, I’ve experienced the various hurdles patients face both as a kidney patient and as someone who is legally blind. Before my kidney transplant in 2018, I did [...]
Blankenship: Kidney Patients Need Better Access to Coverage
Learning you have kidney disease can be overwhelming, something I found out myself while camping in 2003. It’s hard for patients to get the information they need about living with kidney disease, and for many patients the costs of treatment are excessive. Starting on dialysis brought with it a lot of changes, one of them being that I had [...]
Protect Dialysis Patients’ Coverage
I have been on dialysis treatments for almost 13 years due to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Kidney disease can be a lot to handle with frequent dialysis treatments, doctor's appointments, and medications. On top of the medical responsibilities, I must ensure I have the proper insurance coverage. Initially after my diagnosis, I was fortunate to be covered by my [...]
Dialysis patients across America are counting on Congress
In October 2016, kidney disease forced me to start dialysis and retire from my career as a firefighter paramedic. This disease runs in my family, with my brother and mother also suffering. I currently require dialysis treatment three times a week and have to travel 72 miles round trip to the center for five-hour-long treatments. Dialysis costs me both [...]
Texas dialysis patients under 65 need help getting coverage
I've had a progressive kidney disease for several years and my doctor eventually referred me to a nephrologist to help manage my kidney health. Fifteen months ago I needed to start dialysis and I am fortunate because the treatments have gone very well. I’ve largely been able to get the coverage I need through Medicare and my supplemental Medigap [...]
CA Dialysis Patients Need Lawmakers’ Help
Finding out I needed to start dialysis two years ago was tough to accept. I’d always been an athlete, so I felt like this wasn’t something I’d have to face. But after low kidney counts for more than 5 years, I had to start treatments. Beyond difficult treatments, the financial burden they come with is enormous. I’m fortunate, however, [...]
Dialysis patients need better insurance coverage
Editor: I have seen firsthand the hardships kidney patients face through both my daughter’s and father’s diagnoses. My daughter’s kidneys failed at age 23, and for over two decades, I was her caregiver while she was in and out of the hospitals and on dialysis. This wasn’t an easy task, but thankfully she received a kidney transplant almost two [...]
Time is running out: Dialysis patients need Congress to act
“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” are the inalienable rights which our government was created to secure. Thomas Jefferson famously penned these words when authoring the Declaration of Independence, but nearly 250 years later, those rights are at risk for dialysis patients thanks to a recent Supreme Court ruling. This June, in Marietta Memorial Hospital Employee Health Benefit Plan [...]
Send lifeline to kidney dialysis patients
At 21, I was diagnosed with end-stage renal disease, which meant my kidneys were failing. Until my diagnosis, I was completely healthy, in the middle of nursing school and working full time. The onset of this disease was the beginning of a series of hospitalizations, surgeries and dialysis treatments. I began dialysis while I waited for my kidney transplant. [...]
Equal Justice Remains Elusive for Kidney Patients. Congress Can Help.
Four simple words sit above the entrance to the Supreme Court: “Equal Justice Under Law.” That short phrase, though, carries immense weight. It is a promise to the American people that we will receive fair treatment in our justice system, and serves as a principle to guide people in power. For dialysis patients – who already face massive health disparities – [...]
Kidney patients need Congress’ help
I know we can count on Congressman Carlos Giménez to support this important legislation. I’ve dealt with health issues my entire life. I was born with Polycystic Kidney Disease (PKD), which has caused me to have multiple organ transplant surgeries and receive life-saving dialysis treatments. And, in addition to a successful liver transplant, I’ve had two kidney transplants that my body rejected, and [...]
Congress needs to protect kidney patients following Supreme Court decision
I recently joined other dialysis patients in meetings with Congress to discuss the challenges we face. One of the key topics we covered was how hard it is for patients to get access to the benefits and coverage we need just to survive. Those challenges are about to get much bigger for many patients after a recent Supreme Court [...]
Dialysis patients need expanded coverage for leftover costs
In 2017, I had a below-knee leg amputation, during which it was discovered my kidneys had deteriorated. These health crises forced me to undergo physical rehabilitation and begin dialysis treatments for my kidneys. While receiving dialysis, I started writing my book on navigating midlife, which was a form of mental therapy. My book discusses my triumphs and trials as [...]
Dialysis patients counting on Congress
It’s quite the experience being a kidney patient on dialysis. There’s always new information to monitor and communication to track between various medical providers, dialysis centers, and health insurance entities. It’s important for patients to educate themselves on kidney disease to best serve themselves and others who are on dialysis. One area of dialysis that can be hard to [...]
Medigap bill can help kidney patients
When I started helping my dad after his kidney disease diagnosis, I thought it would be straightforward, taking him to the dialysis clinic and just generally caring for him. As I started learning more about the challenges kidney patients face, though, I remember looking around at all of the younger patients at his dialysis clinic and asking myself, “How [...]
Legislation Offers Hope for Kidney Patients Struggling with Coverage
Kidney disease is a life-changing diagnosis for patients and their families. I experienced it first-hand as my husband went through dialysis and a kidney transplant, and I continue to see it every day working with kidney patients who are facing issues with treatments and cost. One of the most heartbreaking realities I see working with patients is that many [...]
Dialysis Patients
Life with kidney disease while I was working in the United Arab Emirates was very different compared to what it is in the U.S. I had to receive all of my treatments in the hospital, and because the coverage options available weren’t the same as they are here, I had to pay for my treatments out of pocket. I [...]
Letter to the editor: Much-needed relief for dialysis patients
How much money do you make in an average year? Think about it for a minute. Now, imagine that entire annual salary, and then some, is gone in a month. Why, you may ask? Because those are the costs dialysis patients incur on a monthly basis. While all dialysis patients are covered by traditional Medicare, this only covers 80 [...]
Congress needs understanding
I was devastated when I wound up in the emergency room and found out my kidneys had failed. I was immediately placed on dialysis and began a new way of life. My new reality meant spending many hours per week at my dialysis center receiving life-saving treatments. Dialysis treatments can be costly. Medicare will only cover up to 80% [...]
LETTER: Making a difference for kidney patients
DEAR EDITOR: I recently participated in my second advocacy day meetings as part of Dialysis Patient Citizens, and am still overjoyed with the discussions I had with several of our distinguished members of Congress and their staff. I spoke briefly about how my own experience as a dialysis patient took away so much of my independence, and what so [...]
Aid dialysis patients
Families have a lot in common, and something mine shares is kidney disease. Both my late mother and I who have suffered from this have had to receive life-saving dialysis treatments that allowed our bodies to continue to function. At the beginning of my dialysis journey, I had insurance through my employer, which covered the costs of these pricey [...]
Letter: Medigap bill offers lifeline to young dialysis patients
Dear Editor: Starting dialysis at a young age was hard. I had only recently finished high school, and adjusting to life on dialysis when I was still a teenager was overwhelming. It was even more difficult because I didn’t have reliable access to affordable Medigap coverage for the costs Medicare didn’t pay. Not every state requires Medigap plans to [...]
Your Views: Wisconsin kidney patients need financial help
My life with kidney disease has been one filled with battles. In 2010, I had a double transplant surgery and received a new kidney and liver. Unfortunately, the transplant kidney failed three years ago, and I needed dialysis treatment. These life-saving treatments can be time-consuming, and patients often find themselves unable to work. Working and being on dialysis can [...]
Letter: Congress should follow NY’s lead on dialysis coverage
Finding out my kidneys were failing was shocking. During a surgery to remove a portion of one kidney affected by cancer, things took an unexpected turn. Rather than losing a small portion of function in one kidney, I was left with one kidney only functioning at 20 percent. Thanks to an excellent nephrologist, though, I was able to put [...]
Kidney Patients Struggling to Receive Coverage
My husband’s journey with kidney disease forever changed my life. Over the past five years, we have seen countless doctors, traveled many miles for medical appointments, and both of us had lifechanging surgeries. At age 39, my husband began dialysis treatments for his failing kidneys, a side effect of his lifelong battle with diabetes. We knew he would eventually [...]
Congress should OK Medigap expansion
I have fought an uphill battle with kidney disease for almost half my life. At 24, I started receiving dialysis treatment and three years later received a kidney transplant that kept me off dialysis for about five years. But unfortunately, I needed potent anti-rejection drugs that ultimately gave me cancer and weakened my immune system. Thankfully, I recovered from [...]
Constituents on Dialysis Need Leader McCarthy’s Help
Editor, Being diagnosed with kidney disease when I was just 16 turned my life on its head overnight. Kidney failure can cause multiple medical complications. Partial loss of my vision and hearing, more than 17 years of dialysis treatments, infections, an enlarged heart, and eventually a kidney transplant have been just part of the journey. For all of these [...]
Dialysis, Kidney Transplant Patients Need Lawmakers To Help
Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) caused my kidneys to fail nearly 30 years ago. Since then, I’ve been on and off dialysis as FSGS and the treatments it requires have taken their toll on my health and several transplant kidneys. The treatment process and the costs associated with it have been egregious. The high cost of medications to keep transplant kidneys healthy [...]
Dialysis patients under 65 face major cost hurdle
Starting dialysis felt like being swooped into a cage with no warning. At the height of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic, I found out the chemotherapy treatments for my breast cancer had contributed to my kidneys failing and I needed to start on dialysis immediately. The next two weeks were a lonely and frightening experience, and I wouldn’t have [...]
Guest: National Kidney Month provides reminder of cost hurdles for dialysis patients
The month of March marks National Kidney Month in the U.S., an opportunity to bring awareness to something that affects more than one in seven adults, and a chance to reflect on the struggles kidney patients across the U.S. face every day. Currently, kidney patients face an uneven playing field, and a lot still needs to be accomplished in order [...]
Support S 2194
March 28, 2022 The Honorable Joshua Miller, Chair The Honorable Bridgett G. Valverde, Vice Chair The Honorable Valarie J. Lawson, Secretary Members, Senate Health and Human Services Committee Rhode Island General Assembly RE: Support S 2194 Dear Chair Miller, Vice Chair Valverde, Secretary Lawson, Members of the Committee: As a kidney dialysis patient residing in Woonsocket, a volunteer Patient [...]
HB 430 – Letter of Support
February 28, 2022 The Honorable Bart Rowland, Chair The Honorable Derek Lewis, Vice Chair House Banking & Insurance Committee Kentucky General Assembly 700 Capitol Avenue Frankfort, KY 40601 RE: HB 430 - SUPPORT Dear Chair Rowland, Vice Chair Lewis and Members of the Committee: My name is James O. “Hap” Strunk. I am a resident of Whitley City, serve [...]
Patients with Kidney Disease Need Medigap Expansion Bill
Kidney disease is a life-changing diagnosis. Since I went into renal failure, I’ve believed that patients should only have to worry about the care they need to get well, not the high costs that come with it. Unfortunately, that isn’t the reality I’ve encountered, given my insurance and Medicare don’t cover the full costs of the life-saving treatments and [...]
New Bill Will Give Dialysis Patients the Security They Deserve
For six and a half years, I lived through the daily struggles of dialysis and the challenges of getting quality care before I finally received a kidney transplant in 2009. The coverage I received while on dialysis simply wasn’t enough to pay for all of the medications I needed because I was under the age of 65 and did [...]
New Bill Give Dialysis Patients Certainty and Security
The last thing that folks living with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) should have to worry about is whether they can afford to pay for their treatments. As someone who has been on dialysis since 2009, I’ve met a number of patients who live with a financial burden and uncertainty because they do not have access to Medigap insurance. Thankfully, [...]
Louisiana Kidney Patients Counting on New Care Coordination Bill
My kidney disease diagnosis four years ago meant a lot of things, including the beginning of many doctor appointments, dialysis treatments, and medications. While these changes keep me alive and well, there are certain areas of care for dialysis patients that are lacking. For starters, I have found myself navigating between doctors to communicate my needs and make sure all of [...]
Support Sen. Young’s Kidney Care Act
A kidney disease diagnosis is life-changing. It means undergoing hours-long dialysis treatments several times every week, spending more time at doctors' appointments, and completely overhauling how patients live their lives. The stress of that change is only complicated by the fact that for a lot of dialysis patients, the responsibility for tracking treatments, medications and communicating with their nephrologist [...]
Letter to the Editor: Medigap expansion bill can address coverage concerns
Being a nurse practitioner gives me a glimpse into patients’ daily struggles that aren’t always obvious from the outside looking in, like the problems patients face when their coverage suddenly changes, and they can’t afford the medications they need. This is something I’ve particularly noticed for dialysis patients. Since a lot of them rely on Medicare for coverage, they [...]
Readers React: Bill would help dialysis patients under age 65
Dialysis has involved a lot of waiting since I started it years ago. Treatments take hours at a time, and I’m left waiting for the call to finally tell me that a donor kidney is ready. It simply cannot come soon enough. However, I at least have coverage for my treatments through my wife’s job, in addition to Medicare, [...]
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Law would make life easier for dialysis patients
When I first went into the hospital because of a heat stroke a few years ago, I never would’ve imagined it would lead to me starting dialysis. After 19 days in the hospital, I was back just one day after being discharged. Before long, doctors were forced to put me into a medically induced coma while I experienced heart [...]
I’ve had a kidney transplant and know these bills will help others
Before I was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease while I was pregnant with my son, I knew nothing about kidney disease. I never would have imagined all the different things that go into treating it, and what it would eventually be like to go on dialysis. Once I did start dialysis in 2016, I found myself in a whole [...]
Cover the Medigap
As a dialysis patient, one-time kidney transplant recipient, and a dialysis tech of 12 years, I’ve seen kidney care from just about every angle. I was fortunate to have insurance through my job which meant I didn’t have to deal with the out-of-pocket costs and hassle that sometimes come with Medicare, but that’s not true for everyone. Instead, they [...]
TX Kidney Patients Eager for a Transplant Need Medigap Expansion
It took me two doctors' visits to get a liver transplant. It was a fairly seamless process all things considered, but the medications eventually cost me my only kidney and forced me onto dialysis. Getting a kidney transplant couldn't be more different, Just getting on the list feels like I'm running in circles, with constant tests and never any [...]
Kidney disease patients need coverage, new Medigap bill
I’ve battled kidney disease for over half my life, experiencing one failed kidney transplant and 16 years on dialysis — all before my 30th birthday. Fortunately, I’m able to receive full coverage for the cost of the treatments and medications I need to fight my kidney disease. However, I know there are other patients out there who can’t say [...]
Dialysis patients need support from lawmakers
Dear Editor: This December marks three years in my battle with kidney disease. My kidney failure diagnosis was hard to pin down, and without my husband, I am not sure I would still be here. My diagnosis came with a lot of things you’d expect: many hours spent in doctors’ offices and at dialysis treatment centers. What I didn’t [...]
New bill offers much help for kidney patients
For four years, I have served my community as a social worker dedicated to helping dialysis patients. I have seen both the everyday problems kidney patients face and the larger issues with how our health care system handles them. There are a lot of obstacles that require more attention. Many patients on dialysis require trips to centers for treatments [...]
New bill would help dialysis patients
While I’ve never been diagnosed with it myself, kidney disease has touched just about every facet of my life. At home and at work, I’ve experienced firsthand just how much it can change a person’s life. From the treatments and waiting for a transplant, to the overwhelming financial challenges that can come with it, dialysis brings its own set of difficulties [...]
New bill for dialysis patients
It’s been four and a half years since my first kidney transplant failed after 18 years. For me, that’s meant many of the all-too-familiar challenges of being on dialysis have become part of my day-to-day life once again, including the long and exhausting treatments and all of the other health struggles that come with them. Part of what makes [...]
Dialysis patients need help to close Medicare gap
I’ve seen firsthand why Medigap coverage expansion is needed for dialysis patients, which is the goal of HR 1676, a bill introduced in Congress earlier this year. Since my kidney transplant in 2018, I have gone to dialysis clinics all over to help prepare kidney disease patients for their own transplants. Everywhere I go, I hear from patients struggling [...]
Alabama kidney patients need Congress to support Medigap Expansion Bill
Since I started dialysis in 2018, I’ve been lucky to have coverage that supplements Medicare and helps to keep my costs down. Even with that added coverage, though, I’ve noticed it is tough to afford all of the medicines I need. For patients without the additional coverage I have, that cost is even higher. When Medicare doesn’t pay for [...]
Legislations would provide help for dialysis patients
I’ve lived on dialysis for 22 years, but there was a time when my kidney disease almost took my life. Through dialysis and a failed kidney transplant, though, I’ve done my best to stay upbeat and am excited to get another transplant kidney soon, hopefully. While it’s been a tough road, I’ve at least had the coverage I need [...]
Dialysis patients need Medigap expansion bill
It’s been 34 years since my brother donated his kidney to me and changed my life for the better. Now, we do what we can to support dialysis patients in our area and help people better understand just what challenges patients face every single day. For a lot of them, it all comes back to coverage. As a transplant [...]
Letter: Bill can ease costs
Starting dialysis 12 years ago at 28 completely changed my life. I had to begin going to a clinic for the hours-long treatments that dialysis involves, and the treatments, as well as their effects, forced me to end my career as an EMT. It was a difficult adjustment to make, but I’ve at least been fortunate enough to have [...]
Letter: Help for dialysis patients
Dialysis brings a lot of challenges, but one of the biggest is simply getting the coverage you need. The treatments make it very challenging for patients like me to work a traditional job, which means many of us do not have employer-sponsored insurance and rely on Medicare. If it doesn’t cover a specific medication or treatment, we have no [...]
New Kidney Care Bills Vital for Expanding Coverage & Reducing Costs
Starting dialysis seven years ago was a bit of a rude awakening. I had to accept that my day-to-day life had changed, and that I’d now need to devote significant time each week just to go through treatments. One of the most challenging parts of the process, though, was learning the ins and outs of the healthcare system. It [...]
LETTER: Expand Medigap and help dialysis patients get the care they need
I was only 19 years old when I was diagnosed with kidney disease. Because I was under 65, Medicare didn’t cover the full costs of treatments and medications throughout my 10 tough years on dialysis, and I was forced to make difficult choices between the care I needed and basic needs like groceries. A new bill, however, the Jack [...]
Dialysis Patients Need Help. A New Medigap Bill is the Perfect Place to Start.
In 2004 my dad had his first dialysis treatment after flatlining from a heart procedure. We were not sure he would make it through the night as his organs were shutting down, but we were told that dialysis would help and at the time, we wanted to just do whatever was needed to save him. When my dad left [...]
LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Medigap Bill A Welcome Change for Mississippi Dialysis Patients
Kristal pictured with her husband, Ernest Higgins. Photo by Cameron B. Potts My kidney transplant failing in 2017 changed my life. I went back on dialysis for the first time since 2012 and was spending more time in the hospital than I had before. Then, I lost my job and the insurance coverage it provided, and I [...]
LETTER: Medigap Expansion is Needed
To the editor: As someone who has been on dialysis for 23 years, educating other patients and advocating for them gives my job meaning. I get to assist people who have gone through the same challenges I have and help people better understand exactly what life on dialysis is like. Through my work, I’ve seen how many patients struggle [...]
Medigap Expansion Bill Vital to Making Treatments Affordable
Something felt a little off after my daughter was born. I started feeling more exhausted each day after work, and at one point one of my elementary school students even pointed out that I didn’t look well. I had always been perfectly healthy, so I never expected that I’d be diagnosed with kidney disease. But, after a referral to [...]
Letter to the Editor: Kidney disease patients are in need of new Medigap Expansion bill
As a kid, I remember watching my dad receive his dialysis treatments at home. Kidney disease runs in my family, and tragically it has taken not only my dad’s life, but many others in my family before their time. I received my own kidney disease diagnosis almost 20 years ago. Medical costs are rising and continue to rise for kidney [...]
Bill helps kidney patients get needed coverage
Starting dialysis in 2016 showed me there are a lot of challenges patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) face. There are major lifestyle differences, and treatments take several hours multiple days each week. While I can do these treatments from home at night, lots of other patients need to make trips to their local clinics, which takes an exhausting [...]
Kidney patients need Medigap expansion
While my husband was on dialysis, and even since his kidney transplant, getting affordable coverage has felt impossible. If Medicare doesn’t cover something, we have to scramble to afford it, which was a massive challenge given his dialysis treatments got up to $15,000 and medications can cost $3,000 each month. This shouldn’t happen. We need lawmakers to pass bills [...]
Letter: Congress should expand Medigap coverage
For a lot of patients, starting dialysis means not being able to work anymore. Thankfully, with my job I can work from home when I’m doing my treatments, which has been hugely beneficial in helping me stay employed and get the coverage I need. The situation is very different for a lot of other patients, though, who can’t continue [...]
Voice of the Reader: Support the Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act
To the Editor: There is a bill which would expand Medigap Coverage to Illinois patients who need it. My story with kidney disease goes back more than 10 years to when my mom stepped in and donated one of her kidneys to me. While that was an invaluable gift on her part, that transplant failed a few years ago, [...]
Dialysis patients need new Medigap bill
I was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) in 2016 when my kidneys began to fail. While I was undergoing dialysis, I received full coverage for my treatments and medications through disability insurance, but many other patients aren’t fortunate to have coverage and are left to pay massive medical bills. Thankfully, help is on the way. The Jack [...]
Letters to the Editor
One certainty in life is that all of us will be tested by circumstances out of our control. For me, it was kidney failure, and since 2007 I've been on dialysis. I'm very blessed that I was able to receive this care, and that I've been able to live a healthy and happy life thanks to the support of [...]
Medigap expansion could clear major obstacle for kidney patients
After three difficult years on dialysis, I received a kidney transplant last fall through the Department of Veteran Affairs as a Marine Corps veteran. While I don't have dialysis treatments anymore, I keep touch with everyone I met at my dialysis center and find new ways to help patients. In these conversations, one topic seems to come up more [...]
To the Editor: Medigap coverage important for people in need
To the Editor: As a single mom, starting dialysis required a lot of shuffling so I could attend treatments while juggling my responsibilities as a parent. Thankfully, it didn’t require big out-of-pocket payments to cover what Medicare couldn’t, since Michigan requires insurers to provide dialysis patients like me with access to Medigap. I know the reality is different for [...]
Expanding Medigap coverage
I first started dialysis just over 20 years ago, and in that time I’ve done both home and in-center dialysis treatments in addition to receiving two kidney transplants. Along the way, I’ve been fortunate enough to have good coverage that kept my treatments affordable. As I’ve met other dialysis patients, I’ve realized just how rare that is. Many people [...]
Letter: Medigap expansion bill offers relief to kidney disease patients in need
I have struggled with kidney disease my entire life. I was diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease when I was 7 years old, and I finally went on dialysis in 2010 at age 26 when my kidneys failed. While I was able to receive full coverage from private and public insurance providers due to the fact that I am [...]
Medigap expansion bill would ease burden on dialysis patients
Last year was tough for everyone as we navigated life during a pandemic and did what we could to stay home. Unfortunately, things got even tougher when I found out I had to start dialysis treatments again. While I was initially able to stop dialysis in 2010 thanks to a kidney transplant, complications meant that I had to start [...]
New bill would expand coverage to kidney patients who need it most
For 10 years, I acted as my father’s in-home dialysis provider, and having the chance to be there for him was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. While he passed away last year, I’ve been able to channel that energy into helping and educating other patients who are in the same position he was. Caring for [...]
Former firefighter advocates for fellow renal failure patients
Former firefighter Terry Peeler of Livingston has released a statement urging Alabama lawmakers to support new bipartisan legislation that offers coverage for dialysis patients. Peeler’s career as a firefighter ended when he was diagnosed with kidney failure. “Starting dialysis in 2016 was unbelievably difficult,” Peeler said. “It brought my career as a firefighter to a sudden halt, and meant [...]
Passing kidney care legislation will help dialysis patients
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit last year, it forced a lot of people out of work. That was especially the case for dialysis patients like me, as our kidney disease means we’re at a higher risk for getting seriously sick if we get COVID-19, and we’ve had to take extra steps to stay safe. While I’m looking forward [...]
Andrew Conkling: Expanding Medigap coverage for dialysis patients is a welcome and necessary change
Kidney disease has been a major part of my life from the very start. I was born with just one functioning kidney and, defying doctors’ expectations, made it to age 25 before I needed to start dialysis treatments. Through my own experiences with dialysis and my conversations with other patients in dialysis clinics across the United States in the [...]
New Bipartisan Effort Could Provide Much-Needed Coverage for NYC Kidney Patients
Living with kidney disease, undergoing dialysis, and ultimately traveling out-of-state to receive a kidney transplant provided me with a harsh lesson in how challenging life with End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) can be both physically and financially. It’s already difficult having to go through all these treatments even before considering the financial burdens that come with them. The costs are [...]
Letter: Medigap Expansion Act needs Delaware’s support
Life on dialysis is hard. It involves several hours-long treatments every week and puts a major strain on everyone involved. It’s a frustrating process that I wouldn’t have been able to get through without my family. The last thing you want to worry about while going through dialysis is the cost. The treatments already weigh on patients and families [...]
Letter: Pass Medigap expansion
I never considered the possibility of having kidney disease until I ended up in the emergency room with a life-threatening illness. The doctors told me I was “toxic” and said I had developed kidney disease due to hypertension. Not long after, I started dialysis treatments. Being on dialysis meant I couldn’t work full time, so I wanted to find [...]
BETTER Kidney Care Act the Best Move to Defend Patient Access to Care
As the COVD-19 pandemic continues to cause problems for Americans across the country, many people have been concerned about their ability to access the care that they need. Naturally, many patients are worried about where they can turn if they fall ill, and what it could potentially cost them. Being able to see all the necessary care providers is [...]
BETTER Kidney Care Act – Improving Access to Transplants for Kidney Patients
From the moment I was diagnosed with kidney disease, I was fortunate to receive outstanding care and support from my providers. I know that it played a key role in my ability to get a transplant, as I live in an area with one of the longest wait times in the country. In fact, I was encouraged to get [...]
New Research Highlights Need for Coordinated Care Legislation
Despite months of research and progress, it still seems like we learn something new about COVID-19 every day, ranging from how it affects patients with certain pre-existing conditions to new information on the long-term health risks the virus poses to those who contract it. Now, as more information continues to come to light, it is imperative that we use [...]
Expanding Patient Choice Through the BETTER Kidney Care Act
Preserving patient choice is central to a successful treatment plan.
OP-ED: New bill would help improve care for dialysis patients
My daughter’s kidneys failed when she was just 23 years old, marking the beginning of a long and difficult path on dialysis. Her treatments were incredibly straining and gradually weakened her until, about ten years ago, she had to undergo open-heart surgery because of the stress her dialysis treatments put on her circulatory system. Throughout the entire process, though, [...]
Change is Hard – Benefits of Care Coordination vs. the Status Quo
For many patients, adjusting to life with kidney disease means change. From new diet restrictions to multiple weekly dialysis treatments, being diagnosed with kidney disease can create a sudden and difficult shift in a person’s daily lifestyle. Unfortunately, for many patients on dialysis these changes are made all the more challenging by a lack of a truly cohesive, coordinated [...]
New bills offer opportunity to help Iowa dialysis patients
As we move toward the fall season, the COVID-19 pandemic still poses a major threat to people living here in Iowa, as well as others across the U.S. With public health still top-of-mind, it is important that we do everything we can to protect high-risk patients, especially those living with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). ESRD is a serious condition [...]
Letter: Do what is right for the chronically ill
I am a lifelong Oregonian and suffer from stage 5 chronic kidney disease, meaning I depend on dialysis to live. Through my treatments, I've seen first-hand the importance of coordinated care for myself and others with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Care coordination is a system where each of a patient's health care providers proactively share information with each other, [...]
Advocating for dialysis patients is close to my heart
Since 2009, I have served as my father’s in-home caregiver as he undergoes dialysis treatments. In that time, we’ve had the incredible fortune of working with supportive and attentive medical staff who helped us as we learned about life with dialysis. Because of this great medical care, my father was, until a recent amputation, able to maintain an active [...]
We Need More Better Kidney Care Act Support
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been much attention devoted to improving care for high-risk patients in Oregon and throughout the nation who have chronic health problems which hinder their ability to fight off the virus. During all of this, however, relatively little attention has been given to the difficulties faced by those with end-stage renal disease, who depend [...]
Bill offers support for Iowa dialysis patients
High-risk patients have been one of the focal points of the public response to COVID-19. Now, as our leaders continue responding to this epidemic, they must pay particular attention to the impact their decisions will have on patients with end-stage renal disease, or ESRD, who rely on dialysis treatments to live. Living with ESRD poses many unique challenges, as [...]
Letter to the Editor
You might be hearing a lot about what’s not happening in the nation’s Capitol right now but one thing that is happening is the BETTER Kidney Care Act—to expand care coordination opportunities for dialysis patients. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed the health of kidney disease patients at risk more than ever before, while also showing the many challenges to ensuring their continuity of their care. Here’s [...]
Difficult year for medical community
This has been a difficult year for the medical community as we do everything we can to combat the spread of COVID-19 while protecting the most vulnerable patients. One especially vulnerable group right now is patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), in large part because they see so many different doctors. They need to regularly see a primary care [...]
Opinion: New bill would provide boon to dialysis care
Protecting patients in the U.S. has been at the top of the public mind since the start of the COVID-19 outbreak. Since March, people both here in Missouri and across the rest of the country have been taking steps to help curb the spread of the virus and keep each other safe, particularly those with other health issues that [...]
Letter to the Editor – BETTER Kidney Care Act
Since she was just three days old, my daughter has struggled with kidney failure. After over 30 years and three transplants, it’s become clear that more needs to be done to help kidney patients. Care coordination in particular needs a lot of attention. Without effective communication between doctors, things get harder for patients, and they can suffer serious health [...]
Letter: Helping Dialysis Patients
When my kidney issues started in 2009, I was fortunate enough to receive a donor kidney from my mother, which lasted until 2017. Unfortunately, new medications caused that kidney to fail and ultimately forced me to go on dialysis. Since starting dialysis I’ve worked with a great team at my local clinic that truly cares about me and even [...]
Support New Kidney Care Act
While working in Abu Dhabi, I found out I had kidney disease and needed to begin dialysis. I was able to continue working abroad for a few more years, but a 2017 trip to the hospital showed me it was time to move back home. Since then, I’ve noticed that a better, more coordinated system is needed to help [...]
Coordinated Care Bill Can Ensure Patients Receive Needed Treatment
Sadly, Paul Van Vooren passed away after this article was published. As a patient with Von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) who has undergone 65 surgeries, including a kidney transplant, and received dialysis treatments for over eight years, I know the importance of coordinate care for dialysis patients. My treatment for VHL sometimes requires me to travel hours to the Mayo Clinic [...]
New Bill Offers Help for Georgia’s Dialysis Patients
Dialysis has forced me to make major adjustments, requiring me to make three weekly trips to the clinic for four-hour treatments while I continue my years-long wait for a kidney transplant. I work hard to maintain my diet, get proper exercise, and stay on top of all of my treatments, but many dialysis patients can’t because they have diabetes [...]
Carla Smith: Congress should pass the BETTER Kidney Care Act
Dear Editor: For over three years, dialysis has been a central part of my life. Three times every week I go to the dialysis center, where I check in on my friends who also get treated there and catch up on my favorite cooking shows during my treatment. The doctors and nurses at my facility are incredible. They’re like [...]
YOUR OPINION: New Bill Would Help Struggling Dialysis Patients
When my doctor told me I had kidney disease, I wasn’t aware of just how serious it was. Two years later, though, I passed out and woke up in the emergency room, where doctors said I was experiencing both kidney failure and heart failure. Shortly after, I started dialysis. Fortunately, I was able to do in-home dialysis and remain [...]
Letter: Will Rep. Lee support bill to help dialysis patients?
After being diagnosed with end-stage renal disease in 2014, I’ve experienced dialysis treatments at home, in a clinic, and have even traveled with my dialysis equipment. While dialysis created a lot of anxiety for me at first, I have had the benefit of working with an excellent treatment team that is sensitive to my needs as a patient and [...]
We Need the BETTER Kidney Care Act
For over three years, dialysis has been a central part of my life. Three times every week I go to the dialysis center, where I check in on my friends who also get treated there and catch up on my favorite cooking shows during my treatment. The doctors and nurses at my facility are incredible. They’re like a second [...]
Letters: Action Needed to Help Alabama Dialysis Patients
One of the most difficult moments of my life was finding out that, despite being only 24 years old, my kidney was beginning to fail. After years of dialysis and a kidney transplant, I learned through my experiences in the health care system what needs to be improved. Doctors and nurses need a better care coordination framework to more effectively [...]
Opinion: BETTER Kidney Care Act can help Missouri dialysis patients cut down on costs
When I first learned I had kidney disease, I was fortunate to not have to start dialysis right away. For about six or seven years, my doctor worked hard to keep me healthy, doing everything he felt was safe before finally recommending that I begin dialysis treatments. When I finally began dialysis treatments at my local clinic, I found a [...]
Help for Dialysis Patients
Too often, we forget about the personal and mental health struggles facing patients with serious medical illnesses. This is especially true for dialysis patients, who often have to upend their lives to receive the treatments they need. I’ve experienced this personally when after three years of balancing dialysis treatments and doctor’s appointments, I was forced to close a successful [...]
The Coronavirus Outbreak Puts Dialysis Patients At Risk
While most people with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms, dialysis patients like me who have a weakened immune system are more vulnerable to serious complications from the highly contagious virus. Now more than ever, immunocompromised patients with kidney disease must have coordinated medical care to ensure they are receiving the best health care possible from all of our medical providers. [...]
Letter: The BETTER Kidney Care Act is an important step forward
My experience with dialysis extends four years: from when my first kidney transplant failed in 2014 to when I received my second transplant in 2018. During that time, the most frustrating thing I encountered was a lack of care coordination. I bounced between several doctors who treated my various health issues independently. Every doctor’s visit required me to provide [...]
Advancing Care Coordination for Dialysis Patients: An Update
Efforts to modernize the delivery of quality care to dialysis patients reach several milestones in 2020: Medicare’s first care coordination program for kidney care, the Comprehensive ESRD Care Model, expires at the end of this year; providers have been invited to participate in a new program, the Comprehensive Kidney Care Contracting Model; end-stage renal disease (ESRD) patients will, in [...]
Care Coordination Fixes One of the Biggest Flaws in the American Health Care System.
As a dialysis patient, it has become clear to me that one of the biggest flaws in the American health care system is the disjointed way care is often provided to patients. If patients have chronic conditions alongside other health complications, it can be exceedingly difficult to navigate the different doctors and hospitals we need in order to receive [...]