Budget cuts will impact dialysis patients
On July 1, Medicare proposed drastic budget cuts that will impact my dialysis patients, who are among the sickest members of our community. Medicare proposed cutting payments to dialysis providers by nearly 10 percent which will lead to reduced service, staffing and in some instances, closures. It’s heartbreaking and unjust to make critically ill people accept reduced care or travel longer distances for lifesaving dialysis. It’s illogical to make cuts when kidney disease is rising in Florida and the U.S.
Kidney disease, which is commonly caused by high blood pressure and diabetes, affects 1 in 7 Americans and is the eighth-leading cause of U.S. death. As the disease progresses to kidney failure, individuals must seek transplantation (which is uncommon) or go for dialysis three times a week to stay alive. 32,000 Floridians suffer with kidney failure, a 22 percent increase since 2005.
Dialysis is a lifeline to survival, so Medicare covers the cost of dialysis, regardless of age. Ninety percent of our patients are Medicare beneficiaries. Fiscal challenges require doing more with less. We recently adopted cost-effective payment system changes, but new Medicare cuts go too far. Congress must protect people lease with kidney failure. My chronically-ill patients need access to lifesaving dialysis care.
Read more at: https://www.sun-sentinel.com
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