I Hate Dialysis Message Board
Dialysis Discussion => Advocacy => Topic started by: kickingandscreaming on April 13, 2018, 05:55:58 AM
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I just signed the petition, “U.S. House of Representatives: Support legislation to keep dialysis patients insured. Pass H. R. 3976 today..” I think this is important. Will you sign it too?
Here’s the link:
https://www.change.org/p/u-s-house-of-representatives-support-legislation-to-keep-dialysis-patients-insured-pass-h-r-3976-today?utm_medium=email&utm_source=petition_signer_receipt&utm_campaign=triggered&share_context=signature_receipt&recruiter=677096666
Thanks
Low-income Americans with high-cost chronic conditions, like kidney disease, often require charitable assistance to pay for their health insurance premiums. But some insurance companies are refusing to accept payments from non-profit organizations. This puts low-income and financially struggling patients at risk of losing their insurance.
Patient advocates for the American Kidney Fund started a petition to help address this crisis.
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What? Are there changes coming to Medicare that would kick dialysis patients out of their chairs?
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Insurers would be well advised (financially, not morally) to refuse premiums paid by kidney charities as such clients are guaranteed money losers. I suppose the charities could pay the premium to the patient for remittance to the insurance company, but some poor people would not know how to properly manage that money.
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So I view some of the things that happen, like dialysis centers "donating" to funds which pay for patient's insurance at their own centers as a bit shady. Most of us know that insurance pays way more for dialysis treatments then Medicare/Medicaid.
I think the bills are to try to stop somethings that happen like this:
UnitedHealthcare accuses dialysis firm of improperly switching patients to private insurance (http://www.modernhealthcare.com/article/20160702/NEWS/307029995)
Its the same with Drug prices. A company will raise the price of a drug outrageously and then offer a patient "assistance" program. By doing that "donation" they are able to justify price gouging everyone else.
I'm someone that does want everyone to have access to insurance and healthcare. So I just want to point out that there probably is two sides to this issue and both sides likely have valid goals and complaints...