Political Quotes

“I am introducing the Kidney Disease Equitable Access, Prevention, and Research Act. This legislation recognizes the importance of patient choice, access to care, and educational efforts to assist the more than 400,000 Americans with kidney failure to manage their disease and understand the treatment options. First, the legislation seeks to maintain patient choice to retain their private insurance options, even after they qualify for Medicare by virtue of their disease state. Under current law, an individual diagnosed with kidney failure, or End Stage Renal Disease, ESRD, has the choice to maintain his/her current group health plan or transition immediately to Medicare. The legislation introduced today would direct the Secretary to clarify that this long-standing requirement also applies to group health plans established through Health Benefit Exchanges, as well as more traditional plans. Second, the legislation seeks to improve access to preventive and educational services by expanding access to coverage for kidney disease education services. Finally, the legislation seeks to address barriers to receiving this life-sustaining treatment, including transportation issues and factors that lead to disparities among minority populations. It also calls on the Secretary to report on gaps in quality and care management metrics to support ongoing efforts to continue quality improvement in the Medicare ESRD program.…”