Kidney Care Access Protection Act

Key Points

• This bill updates how Medicare pays for dialysis treatments to make sure patients can get the latest medical technology. It extends extra payments for new drugs and 'breakthrough' medical devices for at least three years, ensuring doctors can afford to use the newest tools available.
• The policy adds kidney disease screening to the standard Medicare 'Annual Wellness Visit.' This means doctors would check for kidney problems during a person's yearly check-up, helping to catch issues before they become life-threatening.
• It expands who can teach patients about kidney health. Currently, only certain doctors can provide this education, but this change would allow nurse practitioners and physician assistants to help, and it would offer these classes to patients in the final stage of kidney failure.
• The bill also adjusts Medicare payments to better reflect the real-world costs of hiring staff at dialysis centers. If the government's estimate for labor costs is too low, the payment rates would be adjusted to help clinics stay open and fully staffed.
• Most of these changes are set to begin on January 1, 2026. By making these updates, the bill aims to improve the quality of life for the hundreds of thousands of Americans who rely on dialysis every day.

Votes

No votes have been recorded for this legislation yet.