Improving Patient Access And Choice In Medicare's ESRD Benefit
I got a call from the Social Worker at my Dialysis Clinic. They needed a patient to testify before a Senate Subcommittee. They'd send a car to pick me up and even babysit my child. It was important enough to them that they asked me to reschedule a visit to the vascular access center so I could attend.
In reality, it was more like the talks I used to give for the NKF. Staffers were encouraged to attend by the lure of a free lunch and the chance to meet Alonzo Mourning.
Senator Brownback was first up.
Then Alonzo Mourning
John Davis, the CEO of the National Kidney Foundation, spoke about a problem with Medicare. Medicare pays for Dialysis and they'll pay for a transplant, but it only pays for 3 years of the anti-rejection meds. When that 3 years is up, many patients find themselves with no way to pay for the medication, the transplant fails, and then these patients go back on dialysis. Dialysis costs much more than the medication, so Medicare would actually save money by paying for the transplant meds longer. 
Kent Thiry, the CEO of Davita, also spoke.
