Georgia’s kidney care community today praised the Georgia State Senate for unanimously passing important legislation (S.B. 316) to secure access to needed health insurance for approximately 2,000 Georgians suffering from kidney failure. The bill, which was originally introduced by Senators Don Thomas (R-Dalton) and Ed Harbison (D-Columbus), has received support from across the patient advocacy community and legislators alike.
“The Alonzo Mourning Access to Care Act.”
In Georgia today, end stage renal disease (ESRD) and disabled patients under the age of 65 are unable to obtain secondary insurance, known as Medigap, to help cover medical costs not covered by the Medicare ESRD benefit, such as co-insurance, deductibles and co-pays. Patients over age 65, however, do have the option of purchasing secondary coverage under federal Medicare law. The legislation passed by the Senate today would provide Georgia’s kidney failure and disabled patients under age 65 with access to Medigap coverage, allowing patients to obtain needed medical treatments, including kidney transplant, without cost being a barrier to care.
Due to the inaccessibility of secondary coverage, many Georgians have been forced to “spend down” their income to become eligible for state Medicaid assistance, costing the state’s faltering Medicaid program millions of dollars. Additionally, patients who are unable to afford drugs or treatment often forego care, resulting in emergency room visits and higher costs to Georgia taxpayers. Recent estimates indicate that allowing patients under age 65 to purchase secondary coverage would result in approximately $20 million in savings over five years to Georgia’s Medicaid system.
“As a kidney failure patient relying on dialysis treatment for more than three years, I fully understand the stress that comes with each month’s medical expenses,” said Anthony Hoyle, an Atlanta-area dialysis patient. “If Medigap coverage were available to me, it would remove much of the financial burden that comes with accessing the quality dialysis care I receive. I thank our state Senators for recognizing that this bill is the right thing for patients.”
Hoyle, 46, testified before the Senate Insurance and Labor Committee last week, urging lawmakers to provide Georgians under age 65 with the ability to purchase Medigap coverage to help pay for life-saving dialysis and the essential anti-rejection drugs needed after a kidney transplant.
“Today’s Senate action is a great step forward in improving kidney patients’ access to vital dialysis and transplant care,” said Chad Lennox, Executive Director of Dialysis Patient Citizens, a national nonprofit patient organization that represents more than 1,300 kidney community members across the state of Georgia. “There is a momentum of support building around this legislation, particularly among the patient community. This bill provides thousands of patients with a safeguard to care that can make a significant difference in not just their quality of care, but their quality of life.
NBA All-Star and kidney transplant recipient Alonzo Mourning has been a leading advocate for kidney patients and Medigap reforms. Last year, Mourning was instrumental in the enactment of similar bipartisan legislation in Florida, his home state, which unanimously passed the Florida legislature and was signed into law as the “The Alonzo Mourning Access to Care Act.”
Mourning, discussing the importance of Medigap legislation, said the following: “From my own experience with kidney disease, I know how critical it is to have access to life-saving medical treatments, and the importance of coverage. Fortunately, I was able to receive a kidney transplant, which has made all the difference in my life. All kidney disease patients deserve the same level of access to care, and I am proud to do all I can to help.”
If passed, Georgia will join 29 other states across the country that have already passed similar reforms.
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