01/28/08 - American Diabetes Association Letter to Chairman Buford

January 28, 2008  

The Honorable Tom Buford
Chairman
Senate Banking and Insurance Committee
Capitol Annex
Frankfort, Kentucky 40601

Dear Chairman Buford:

On behalf of The American Diabetes Association and dialysis patients across the state of Kentucky, we write to express our support for SB 59 the Kentucky Dialysis Patient’s “Bill of Rights.” Diabetes is the number one cause of chronic kidney disease and end stage renal failure.

Today, there are 20.8 million children and adults in the United States who have diabetes, and each day, approximately 4,110 additional people are diagnosed with the disease. As this already significant number continues to rise, so, too, will the number of people who need dialysis treatments.

Currently, over 4,100 people in Kentucky suffer from kidney disease and rely on dialysis treatments to stay alive. As you know, dialysis patients are among the most vulnerable in America, typically requiring treatment 3 times a week for about 4 hours at a time to remove toxins that would otherwise be fatal.

To meet their specialized needs, community-based dialysis centers provide highquality care in a caring environment. In fact, dialysis patients often develop a deep level of trust and security with their physician, nurses, and techs, which makes the rigorous treatment they receive less stressful.

In Kentucky, however, all this is at risk: insurance companies are forcing many patients to leave their dialysis center because of a unilateral decision to reduce payments for out-of-network care. This announcement comes as a shock to many because it will force patients to abruptly leave their current provider and in many cases drive longer distances to receive the care they need.

Patients deserve to have access to the highest quality care possible. Patients who have paid higher premiums for the right to choose where they receive their care also deserve to exercise that right. Without your support, however, these rights will be violated.

As a result, we write in strong support of SB59, the Kentucky Dialysis Patient’s “Bill of Rights.” This important measure will preserve dialysis patients’ freedom of choice and prohibit unilateral rate-setting by private insurers for out-of-network dialysis services. SB59 will also bring an end to after-the-fact policy changes and ensure patients are not forced to travel unreasonable distances for in-network dialysis services.

Finally, SB59 will safeguard the right of dialysis patients to be informed by ensuring they are notified of any benefit changes that would affect their coverage.

Please help ensure Kentucky’s dialysis patients have the freedom of choice to decide where they receive their care. Please support SB 59, the Kentucky Dialysis Patient’s “Bill of Rights.”

Sincerely,

R. Stewart Perry
Chairman
American Diabetes Association


The American Diabetes Association is the nation's leading 501(C)3 nonprofit health organization providing diabetes research, information and advocacy. Founded in 1940, the American Diabetes Association conducts programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, reaching hundreds of communities. The mission of the Association is to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people affected by diabetes.