By Jackson Williams, DPC Vice President of Public Policy In recent years, private insurance coverage for dialysis patients has come under attack. In 2016, the outgoing Obama Administration issued a regulation that would have prohibited charities like the American Kidney Fund (AKF) from assisting patients with premiums. Several insurers unilaterally refused to accept checks from AKF or eliminated dialysis providers from their networks. Some employers have tried to restrict coverage for dialysis by amending their health plan language. The SEIU labor union promoted legislation and ballot initiatives, most notably in California, to restrict or eliminate insurance coverage for dialysis. DPC has [...]

By Megan Hashbarger, Vice President of Government Relations Earlier this year, The Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act (H.R. 1676) was reintroduced by Congresswoman Cynthia Axne (D-IA-03) to ensure all End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients have access to Medigap. This Congress, we were very pleased she was joined by Congresswoman Jaime Herrera Beutler (R-WA-03) in leading this effort. Ensuring all ESRD patients have access to Medigap is extremely important to help patients cover the high costs of care and to improve their access to transplantation. Medigap policies are standardized, private insurance policies that cover costs not covered by Medicare, such [...]