The Stakes are High

The stakes are high for people suffering from chronic kidney disease and their families.

People pay ever increasing premiums to insurance companies believing that if they get sick, insurance will be there when they need it most. When they need care, insurance companies may try to limit their benefits and jeopardize access to quality care close to home. That isn't right.

Big insurance companies should not block access to quality care for chronically ill kidney patients close to home just to boost profits. Treatment needs to be at a dialysis center that is familiar, comfortable and close.

Why It Matters

When insurance companies slash payments, dialysis centers will be drained of funds and may not be able to maintain the high quality of care they provide.

Some dialysis patients may face extraordinary hardships once they have lost out-of-network rights. They will die without life-saving dialysis treatments at least three times a week.

This is particularly true of patients living in rural areas who could be forced to receive treatment at facilities far from their homes.

Switching centers, driving further for care, missing work, inconveniencing family and friends - none of that is necessary if insurance companies would just do the right thing.

Many patients will ultimately have no other choice but to drop their private coverage prematurely in order to access Medicare and Medicaid and shift the cost of their care to the government and taxpayers.