Help kidney transplant recipients maintain their life-saving kidney transplant by contacting your Representative and Senators to ask them to support Medicare’s extension of immunosuppressive drug coverage through our
TAKE ACTION NETWORK!
Sens. Richard Durbin (D-IL) and Thad Cochran (R-MS) introduced S. 323 on February 13, 2013, to extend Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant recipients. Medicare covers dialysis for most Americans, regardless of their age, with no time limit. However, if they are under age 65 or are not Medicare-disabled (receiving Social Security Disability Income), their eligibility ends 36 months after receiving a transplant. S. 323 eliminates the 36 month time limit to provide continued Medicare coverage for life-saving immunosuppressive medications. All other Medicare would end after three years for kidney recipients, as under current law. Please contact your Senators and urge them to cosponsor S. 323 to help transplant recipients access the medications they need to maintain their new kidney.
Senate Co-sponsors:
Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT]
Landrieu, Mary [D-LA]
Tester, Jon [D-MT]
Rep. Michael Burgess (TX) and Rep. Ron Kind (WI) introduced H.R. 1428
to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide Medicare entitlement to immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant recipients.
This bill would extend Medicare’s coverage of anti-rejection drugs for kidney transplant recipients (who are not Medicare-aged or Medicare-disabled) for the life of the transplant, versus the 36 months post-transplant that Medicare currently covers.
Please contact your Representative and urge them to cosponsor H.R.1428 to help transplant recipients access the medications they need to maintain their new kidney.
House co-sponsors:
Grimm, Michael [R-NY11]
Holt, Rush [D-NJ12]
Hurt, Robert [R-VA5]
Johnson, Bill [R-OH6]
Latham, Tom [R-IA3]
Levin, Sander [D-MI9]
Lipinski, Daniel [D-IL3]
Loebsack, David [D-IA2]
Lofgren, Zoe [D-CA19]
Lowey, Nita [D-NY17]
Moore, Gwen [D-WI4]
Owens, William [D-NY21]
Payne, Donald [D-NJ10]
Pingree, Chellie [D-ME1]
Posey, Bill [R-FL8]
Roby, Martha [R-AL2]
Schock, Aaron [R-IL18]
Schwartz, Allyson [D-PA13]
You can track this important legislation and find out more about your Members of Congress through the Library of Congress or through GovTrack.us.
NKF Government Relations Office
5335 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Suite 300 • Washington, D.C. 20015
(202) 244-7900 • www.kidney.org
Why would anyone in our Government not support this bill? To be so callous as to force someone unable to pay for their medications to go back on dialysis and lose the “Gift of Life” they have received is unconscionable! Please vote YES on this bill and save countless people from the rigors and emotional trauma of dialysis and let them enjoy their “GiFT”
Please. I just got a Transplant 9 months ago after waiting 6 years.I need you to vote YES on this bill to keep those who have Transplants, and those waiting to get Transplants. Dialysis is torture!
PleaseDon’t let us lose Our Gift Of Life, Thank you & God Bless, Debbie Kustka
I filled out the form but the page went out after I finished adding my comments. Please check that this page is functioning. Thank You, Joanie Waddell
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Hi Joanie, Thank you for your comment. We are currently updating the Take Action Network and will soon send an alert out to our subscribers to encourage them to complete the form to contact their Members of Congress. Thank you. – Erin, NKF
When should I try later? Thank You so much for such a quick response. This is very shocking to me and I want to help all I can.
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We should have everything ready – including an action alert emailed to our subscribers – by Tuesday, March 26. Thank you for your patience.
Hi Joanie, Our action alert for the Immuno Bill was just sent out. You can find it here: https://secure2.convio.net/nkf/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=UserAction&id=115&JServSessionIdr004=msojygokeb.app246b
Please go to National Kidney Foundation and read about this bill to let us keep our drugs for a sucessful Kidney Transplant to work. God Bless
Pingback: Help kidney transplant recipients by contacting your U.S. Representative! | Advocacy in Action
My son is on dialysis and dreads every treatment. Through no fault of his, he’s now awaiting a third kidney transplant. I can’t imagine losing that precious gift when it comes, through an inability to pay for those prohibitively expensive, and vital medications.
Please support and pass this bill, I have a son who has had 2 transplants and needs the Immunosuppressive drugs to keep his kidney! he is very fortunate to have a good medical program, but is locked in to the employment, he would like to leave but first must consider if the new employer has the health care that would support his medical. If this program was passed then it would not be a fear if he quit or lost his job. Thanks Mr. Loebsack.
My daughter will not have a kidney transplant because she wouldn’t be able to pay for the medicine and if medicare won’t pay she would then have to go back on dialysis if she lost a new kidney. What a waste of money. I would think the government would rather help pay for the medicine after a transplant then to continue to pay about $80,000 a month for her dialysis which is what it runs in South Florida! Come one lets be logical about this! But I don’t think the government thinks logical about a lot of things.
For all who are already suporting this bill God Bless you , for those who havent please do the math on paying for dialysis verces ant-rejection meds!
My daughter (27) has been on dialysis for only two and a half years. She is waiting to get a kidney. The drugs she will need after transplant are a concern to her. If medicare will pay for the drugs for the rest of her life which is the amount of time these patients have to take these drugs it would be a blessing to them, and to her.
Please Vote Yes on this Bill. God Bless
why would someone like myself, who has donated a kidney, even consider giving their kidney if they knew it might all be for nothing. People need to know that the gift they willing give can continue to give someone a healthy life. Our government wastes so much money on perks.That
money alone could take the burden off so many families. We are talking about a human life. Let’s get our priorities in line!
I have a kidney transplant and had to spent longer on dialysis to wait until I could earn the work quarters to qualify for Medicare. Medicare should certainly be available to those needing it and one should not be dependent on an employer health plan to be able to access anti-rejection meds.
Please, Please sign this bill. I just had transplant 6 months ago after 9 years of waiting. Without this bill I will not be able to afford anti-rejection medications and will have to go back to dialysis. Thank you for your help!
Dear NKF I was wondering if there is an official Michigan petition sheet you could email me that I can take around to have people sign that may not have access to internet and do not know about this plea for help. I would like to get signatures and send them in to the individuals in Michigan government as I see they have not currently elected to support this movement. Thank you.
Hi ShaRonda, Thank you for your efforts! The National Kidney Foundation headquarters office does not have a petition sheet, however you can try contacting the local NKF office in Michigan to see if they have anything you can share:
NKF of Michigan, Inc.
Address: 1169 Oak Valley Dr
City: Ann Arbor
State: MI
Zip: 48108-9674
Phone: (734) 222-9800
Toll Free: (800) 482-1455
E-mail: info@nkfm.org
Web Site: http://www.nkfm.org
My daughter has been on dialysis for 11 years waiting for a kidney, we have small fund raisers every year, Kidneyfor Amber.org visit her sight and read her blog, She is so worried about the cost.
I met my husband when he was on dialysis and I was his PCT. We got married in Sept 2006 and i got tested to see if I was a match. On March 8, 2007 we had the transplant surgery. It has been 6yrs and in that 6yrs my husband was able to go back to college and earn his bachlor degree in Social Work. He started working after he graduated. He found a new job with better money and hours but his insurance will not kick in until July 1, 2013. So for 2 and a half months he will not have health insurance with presription coverage. In that 2.5months could be thrown down the drain cause of us not being able to pay $800. a month for his 1 anti-rejection med. How can I encourge transplant to my patients if I know what I have gone through. I have always been told transplant is not a cure just another form of treatment. I wish they would pay for the life of the organ meds.
Hi Kristy, We do have some financial resources on our web site that you may wish to look into and as Joan mentioned, most of the drug companies have prescription assistance programs. You can find all that information on our web site: http://www.kidney.org/transplantation/transaction/financialresources.cfm
- Erin, NKF
Call the National Kidney Foundation in New York for resourcing your husband’s anti rejection rxs,etc.-Ask about a list to resource medical for your husband. Also call the mfg of each drug needed & apply for assistance with each drug mfg. There is alot of resourcing to do ahead of time since you know this. Also tell his Drs offices & ask for a social worker to assist in all your needs. You are not throwing $800 month down the drain, this is end of life medication for your husband. It is important that your husband learns to become his own advocate in researching & resourcing his medical needs. There is alot of options to get all medications but you have to resource it.
Best Wishes
Kidney Transplant
Dec.11, 1974