WASHINGTON – Kidney Care Partners (KCP) – the nation’s largest non-profit, non-partisan kidney care coalition dedicated to protecting access to care and comprised of more than 30 organizations, including patients, dialysis professionals, physicians, nurses, researchers, therapeutic innovators, transplant coordinators, and manufacturers – today applauds the more than 30 cosponsors of the bipartisan Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act (H.R. 6860).

This critical legislation aims to address the consequences of the Supreme Court’s decision in Marietta v. DaVita, which undermined the intended protections of the Medicare Secondary Payer Act (MSPA) and enabled insurers to shift individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) from their employer-sponsored plans and onto Medicare. This shift in payer coverage not only leads to increased out-of-pocket expenses and loss of both individual and family benefits but also places undue strain on the sustainability of the Medicare program.

If passed, the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act would reinstate the original intent of the MSPA by ensuring uninterrupted access to life-saving dialysis care on private insurance throughout the critical 30-month coordination period, thereby upholding the rights of individuals with kidney failure.

“As part of our mission to improve care for all patients across the kidney disease continuum, KCP thanks the cosponsors of the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act, which will restore long-standing protections and ensure patient choice,” said Mahesh Krishnan, MD, MPH, MBA, Chair of KCP. “This widespread support demonstrates it’s time for Congress to act to ensure fair treatment of patients with kidney failure.”

Cosponsors of the legislation hail from both parties and across the country, including: Representatives Ann Kuster (D-NH-02), Chris Pappas (D-NH-01), Nick LaLota (R-NY-01), Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY-11), Cory Mills (R-FL-07), Yadira Caraveo (D-CO-08), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA-19), Cliff Bentz (R-OR-02), Joe Neguse (D-CO-02), Beth Van Duyne (R-TX-24), Terri Sewell (D-AL-07), August Pfluger (R-TX-11), Darren Soto (D-FL-09), Diana DeGette (D-CO-01), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL-20), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (D-CA-37), Ted Lieu (D-CA-36), Drew Ferguson (R-GA-03), Troy Carter (D-LA-02), Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24), Brittany Pettersen (D-CO-07), John Moolenaar (R-MI-02), Gabe Vasquez (D-NM-02), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI-12), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ-09), Angie Craig (D-MN-02), Derrick Van Orden (R-WI-03), Lori Trahan (D-MA-03), and Tracey Mann (R-KS-01).

###