Dialysis Patient Citizens today praised the Senate Insurance and Labor
Committee for unanimously passing legislation – S.B. 316 – which will
increase patient access to life-saving dialysis care or transplant
medications. Dialysis patients attending yesterday’s hearing encouraged
lawmakers to support the bill which, if enacted, would greatly help
approximately 2,000 Georgians suffering from kidney failure who are
having difficulty accessing health insurance. Twenty-nine states across
the country have enacted this popular legislation that is widely
embraced by patients, family members and taxpayers.
“I would have better access
to preventative care and it would increase my ability to seek treatment
early.”
NBA All-Star Alonzo Mourning, a kidney transplant patient who returned
to the NBA to win the national championship after his transplant, is
planning to visit Georgia legislators in March on behalf of dialysis and
transplant patients to advocate for this important legislation as he did
in Florida in 2009. Similar bipartisan legislation passed in the Florida
legislature last year and was signed into law by Governor Charlie Crist.
Approximately 500 Florida patients can now purchase MediGap insurance,
helping those who can’t afford co-pays and deductibles for medications
and dialysis care avoid financial hardship.
Currently, Georgians under age 65 with end state renal disease (ESRD),
better known as kidney failure, do not have access to secondary coverage
– known as Medigap insurance – to help pay for medical expenses that
Medicare does not cover, such as co-insurance, deductibles and co-pays.
Under current federal law, only Medicare beneficiaries over the age of
65 are able to purchase this insurance as secondary coverage. This
coverage helps patients with kidney failure and those deemed disabled
access essential medical treatments, including kidney transplants,
without cost being a barrier to care.
“If I had access to secondary coverage, it would alleviate the anxiety I
feel when making decisions regarding my health” said Eric Edwards, an
Atlanta-area ESRD patient and Dialysis Patient Citizens (DPC) patient
ambassador who attended yesterday’s hearing. “I would have better access
to preventative care and it would increase my ability to seek treatment
early.”
Additionally, Medigap coverage protects patients from having to “spend
down” their income to become eligible for state Medicaid assistance. If
enacted, fewer people will be forced to enter the state Medicaid
program, resulting in an estimated $20 million of Medicaid savings over
the next five years for Georgia and protecting taxpayers from higher
program costs.
“It is critical for legislators to understand the vital importance of
Medigap access for all kidney failure patients because for thousands of
patients throughout the state, life depends on quality kidney care,”
added Chad Lennox, Executive Director of DPC. “The patient community is
dedicated to working with lawmakers across the state to ensure that this
smart, patient-centric legislation is enacted without delay.”
The bill will now advance to the Senate Rules Committee before going to
the Senate floor. The full bill is available at http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/2009_10/sum/sb316.htm.
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