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Research Report Finds Minimal costs to enacting Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act

2024-03-28T20:58:40-04:00December 17th, 2021|Categories: Costs for Treatment, The Kidney Citizen|

By Jackson Williams, DPC Vice President of Public Policy A research report commissioned by DPC has found that passage of the Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act (H.R. 1676) would add only minimal costs to the federal treasury and to seniors’ Medigap premiums. H.R. 1676  would require insurers to make Medigap plans available to End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients under the age of 65. The report from Health Management Associates (HMA) calculated the costs associated with changing the law. Under current federal law, insurers are not required to offer Medicare Supplemental Insurance (also called Medigap) plans to patients under 65 years of age. While Medicare pays for roughly 80 [...]

DPC’s New Report Card on Medigap Coverage Helps ESRD Patients Understand their Medicare Supplemental Insurance Options

2024-03-28T20:58:41-04:00December 17th, 2021|Categories: Additional Resources, Costs for Treatment, The Kidney Citizen|

By Kelly Goss, J.D., LL.M., Western Region Advocacy Director If you’re a dialysis patient under age 65 looking to purchase a Medigap plan, DPC’s new interactive Medigap Report Card will help you understand the availability of Medigap coverage in your state. Medicare Supplemental Insurance, or Medigap, is provided by private insurance companies to help Medicare enrollees cover their out-of-pocket “gap” costs – such as copays, coinsurance, and deductibles – not covered by Original Medicare. Providing accessible and affordable Medigap coverage is critical to ensuring patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) can fully cover the cost of their care, since Medicare [...]

Why DPC Fights To Maintain Private Insurance Coverage for Dialysis

2024-03-28T20:58:45-04:00December 17th, 2021|Categories: Costs for Treatment, Quality of Life, The Kidney Citizen|

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 [...]

H.R. 1676 – The Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act

2024-03-28T20:58:49-04:00December 17th, 2021|Categories: Costs for Treatment, Quality of Life, The Kidney Citizen|

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 [...]

CMS Makes it Easier for Consumers to Find Prices on Hospital Services

2024-03-28T20:59:09-04:00May 11th, 2021|Categories: Costs for Treatment, eNews|

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a new rule on hospital price transparency that went into effect January 1, 2021. Under a section of the Public Health Service Act (PHSA), hospitals are required to publish a list of standard charges each year. Originally, hospitals could fill this requirement just by publishing their chargemaster list (a comprehensive list of all products, procedures, and services provided by a hospital) online; now, however, hospitals are told exactly what they are required to publish, and how to publish it, in order to comply with the PHSA. Hospitals must publish the following five [...]

Medicare Advantage Now Open for Enrollment

2024-03-28T20:59:47-04:00October 15th, 2020|Categories: Costs for Treatment, Fact Sheet, The Kidney Citizen|

Between now and December 7, dialysis patients are, for the first time, able to choose a Medicare Advantage plan for their coverage. Medicare Advantage is an alternative to traditional Medicare run by private insurance companies. To help kidney patients explore their options, Dialysis Patient Citizens has established Dialysis Plan Choice, an online tool designed in collaboration with Consumers’ Checkbook for dialysis patients to quickly and easily compare their current Medicare Fee-For-Service plan with the options available to them through Medicare Advantage. DialysisPlanChoice.org helps patients and caregivers more easily understand what plans are available to them, the costs are associated with those plans, and, most importantly, which plans [...]

Guide for Submitting Emergency Grants

2024-03-28T20:59:59-04:00August 5th, 2020|Categories: Costs for Treatment, eNews, Stress Management, Support|

Emergency grants can help cover costs for transportation, medication, rent and food when someone is sick. This one-page guide will help you better understand the submission process with a summary of searching, preparing, applying and tracking grants. Included is a list of documents you may be asked to submit with your grant request. Reach out to your social worker if you need help. Check out the guide.

Advancing Care Coordination for Dialysis Patients: An Update

2024-03-28T21:00:11-04:00May 16th, 2020|Categories: Costs for Treatment, The Kidney Citizen|

By Jackson Williams, Vice President of Public Policy, Dialysis Patient Citizens 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 October, for the first time have access to their choice of Medicare Advantage plans effective January 1, 2021; and a new bill is being introduced in Congress to create another integrated [...]

Where Kidney Patients Can Get Help with Medical Bills and Employment

2024-03-28T21:00:29-04:00February 20th, 2020|Categories: Additional Resources, Costs for Treatment, Employment, eNews, Fact Sheet, Support|

There is a resource—developed by patients with kidney disease—that provides an overview of where to get help with medical bills and employment. The types of medical bill tips highlighted include: An overview of Medicare coverage for people with End-Stage Renal Disease Where you may find help in getting supplemental coverage for the 20% Medicare doesn't pay Assistance for special populations (e.g., veterans, children, people with disabilities, etc.) Programs that help cover expenses related to health insurance premiums, living organ donation and medications. Assistance provided by some electric companies for home hemodialysis patients Employment tips [...]

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