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A KidneyBuzz.com viewer wrote and asked, "I am hearing all of this talk about the U.S. Senate Healthcare Bill. They are not saying anything about people with kidney failure - such as myself. Is there expected to be any impact?"
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The above question is quite common and given the constant debates about Healthcare as well as alterations with the expected changes, it can be difficult for patients to follow and determine the impact that it may have on them and their Dialysis Treatments. Well, according to the American Society of Nephrology, the U.S. Senate Healthcare Bill, Better Care Reconciliation Act, would “negatively impact millions of patients, particularly those with kidney failure, advanced kidney diseases, and other chronic illnesses.” Here is how:
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Nephrology News reported that the American Society of Nephrology President, Eleanor D. Lederer, sent a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky), and Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) opposing the Better Care Reconciliation Act because it impacts the Medicaid funding that covers nearly one-half of people with kidney failure.
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Ms. Leaderer was not alone in her opposition. Dr. James L. Madara (American Medical Association) also sent a note to the Senate stating that, “Medicine has long operated under the precept of Primum non nocere, or ‘first, do no harm.’ The draft legislation violates that standard on many levels.”
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Also, chiefly among the concerns of the U.S. Senate Healthcare Bill is that patients with pre-existing conditions (such as Kidney Failure) would experience significant barriers in accessing affordable, high-quality care. Chronic Kidney Disease and Dialysis patients would once again be relegated to delaying treatment and seeking Healthcare Services in high-cost settings, such as emergency departments, suggested the American Society of Nephrology. Ms. Lederer added, "For people with advanced kidney diseases or who have received a kidney transplant, such barriers would be nothing short of life-threatening.”
What are your thoughts about the Better Care Reconciliation Act? Do you support or oppose the bill? If you oppose the bill, then sign and share the below petition:
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