Published by Orchard Park Bee
August 27, 2015

Rep. Chris Collins visited DaVita Kidney Care Dialysis Center, located at 3801 Taylor Road, to meet patients and caregivers and learn about dialysis and the kidney care needs of local constituents.

The center invited Collins for a tour on Aug. 20, to learn more about kidney disease and The Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2015.

The bill addresses how people with complex chronic conditions, such as kidney disease, could have improved access to care if allowed to enroll in Medicare Advantage plans.

Collins said that as Congress considers legislation to improve health care services across the country, it is good to see the hard work being done for individuals with kidney disease in Western New York.

“It was my pleasure to talk with patients, nurses and administrators about the advanced technology used by the center in order to provide a variety of health care services to those in need,” he said.

According to a press release from Collins’ office, there are over 26 million American adults who are living with chronic kidney disease, which, if untreated, can ultimately progress to kidney failure.

Currently, more than 635,000 Americans suffer from end-stage renal disease, and approximately 450,000 are on dialysis – including 40,318 in New York. Eighty-four percent of people with ESRD on dialysis rely on Medicare’s ESRD benefit, the release said.

According to the release, many people with ESRD suffer from multiple diseases and ensuring that care is properly managed and coordinated is critically important.

Medicare Advantage plans can provide improved access to care and care coordination; however, people with ESRD are the only group of beneficiaries in Medicare prohibited from enrolling in MA plans, the release said.

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