Legislative Agenda

OVERVIEW

Through our work with policymakers, Kidney Care Partners (KCP) advocates for policies that improve the coordination of care and the understanding of chronic kidney disease (CKD), lower the barriers that block patients from accessing and choosing treatments, expand and enhance research efforts, and that reform the economics underlying the kidney care landscape so that financial incentives are aligned with patient goals.

In all, KCP’s legislative goals are to promote legislation that will:

Expand kidney disease awareness and education
Create an economically stable dialysis infrastructure and incentivize innovation
Increase patient access to quality performance information
Expand patient choice in coverage

THE KIDNEY CARE ACCESS PROTECTION ACT (KCAPA)

Currently, payment to dialysis providers fails to accurately reflect increases in the cost of labor, supplies, and equipment needed to provide care. Meanwhile, overly restrictive payment policies are limiting patients’ ability to access 21st-century treatments, creating a disincentive for researchers and developers to spur innovation. The Kidney Care Access Protection Act (KCAPA) (S. 2730 and H.R. 6214) offers targeted policy reform that can alleviate these issues, helping kidney care providers strengthen care delivery and stimulate much-needed innovation.

THE RESTORE PROTECTIONS FOR DIALYSIS PATIENTS ACT

In the Marietta v. DaVita decision, the U.S. Supreme Court interpreted the Medicare Secondary Payer Act (MSPA) in a manner that removed the previous Congressional protection against plans discriminating against individuals with kidney failure who require dialysis. To address this issue, bipartisan members of the House of Representatives have introduced the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act (H.R. 2199 and S. 5018) to protect patient choice for those living with kidney failure.

SECTIONS

Legislative Efforts to Improve Kidney Care

Empowering Patients Through Improved Access & Choice

Improving Quality of Care Through Research and Innovation

Increasing Efficiency & Reforming Payments to Improve Care