August 17, 2009 06:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time
Renal Expert Appeals for Universal Health Coverage, Pre-Existing Exclusion BanGLENDALE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Lori Hartwell likes to say she contracted the “right” disease when diagnosed at age two with chronic kidney disease (CKD). End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is the only medical condition covered under Medicare for persons under the age of 65 whose kidneys have failed. And Medicare has helped keep Hartwell alive and healthy. “Without guaranteed coverage by the Medicare healthcare system, I would be dead,” she says.
The Medicare ESRD Program is a government program designed to help pay for the costs of self-care dialysis and kidney transplantation. Without it, Hartwell and many of the 26 million Americans (and currently 400,000 people who are on dialysis) who have impaired kidney function have no way to pay for dialysis, transplants, prescriptions, and other medical necessities.
“I am alive today because of the Medicare ESRD program,” says Hartwell, a three-time kidney transplant recipient and founder and president of the nationwide non-profit Renal Support Network (RSN). “As someone whose life literally depended on government-issued healthcare for dialysis, I am an avid proponent of affordable healthcare options and preventing insurance companies from discriminating against people who have a pre-existing condition. We need options that allow people to have access to the healthcare services they need to survive and thrive and will help prevent future chronic illnesses.”
She and RSN Board members recently sent a letter to President Obama and Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius entitled, “The Ten Point Plan: A Renal Patient’s View on Healthcare Reform for People with Chronic Kidney Disease.”
Among Hartwell’s recommendations:
* Patient survivors/advocates must be involved in any health care reform
* Medigap coverage access should be universally available
* The wall between Medicare Part A & B must be taken down
* Lifetime coverage for immunosuppressive medications for kidney transplant is imperative
Hartwell travels throughout the world educating and inspiring patients and healthcare professionals with her stories, insight, and humor. She is the author of Chronically Happy - Joyful Living in Spite of Chronic Illness.
Her expertise relating to healthcare reform is the government-run Medicare ESRD program, which for 41 years has allowed her access to life-saving therapies such as dialysis and multiple transplants. She is available for interviews, testimonies and further comment on healthcare reform.
The Renal Support Network (
www.rsnhope.org) serves the kidney community by instilling health, happiness, and hope through education, advocacy, and awareness...one person at a time.
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