Congress·In Committee·S. 2730

Blackburn and Booker Push Bill to Expand Medicare Coverage for New Kidney Dialysis Drugs and Tech

Kidney Care Access Protection Act

7 months ago·View on Congress.gov·Read full text

Legislative Progress

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Key Points

The bill extends the transitional drug add-on payment adjustment (TDAPA) period to at least 3 years for new dialysis drugs and biologicals approved by the FDA on or after January 1, 2020. This gives dialysis providers more time to adopt new treatments without financial risk.
After the transitional payment period ends, the bill creates a permanent add-on adjustment to the Medicare base rate so that innovative dialysis drugs don't lose their separate funding. The permanent payment is set at 65% of the calculated per-treatment cost of the new drug.
From policy text
“the Secretary shall establish a permanent add-on adjustment to the base rate for claims submitted on or after January 1, 2026, that includes the administration of such drugs or biologicals”
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New drugs for common comorbid conditions like heart disease, diabetes, cancer, and obesity in dialysis patients are excluded from the bundled dialysis payment, meaning they'll be paid for separately. This prevents clinics from absorbing the cost of these treatments.
From policy text
“does not include drugs or biological products used to treat a comorbid disease or condition (including cardiovascular disease, an inflammatory condition, cancer, diabetes, and obesity) that may occur in an individual who has been determined to have end-stage renal diseases and is receiving dialysis”
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The bill ensures Medicare Advantage enrollees with kidney failure get the same access to new dialysis treatments by requiring direct payments to providers for innovative drugs and devices, matching what traditional Medicare pays.
From policy text
“Beginning January 1, 2026, the Secretary shall make direct payment adjustments to providers of services or renal dialysis facilities”
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To help dialysis centers cover rising labor and supply costs, the bill adds a forecast error adjustment to the annual payment update. If past cost predictions were off by more than 0.5 percentage points, Medicare must correct the shortfall — starting with corrections for 2021 and 2022.
From policy text
“The initial adjustment (in 2026) to the increase factor shall take into account the cumulative forecast error for 2021 and 2022. Subsequent adjustments in succeeding years shall take into account the forecast error from the most recently available year for which there is final data.”
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Healthcare

Impact Analysis

Personal Impact

Who is affectedScoreImpactCertaintyScopeDurationSentiment

Scores: 1 = low, 5 = highSentiment: -5 to +5 (net benefit)

Milestones

2 milestones2 actions

Sep 8, 2025Senate

Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.

Sep 8, 2025

Introduced in Senate

What Happens Next

Projected impacts based on AI analysis

2026-01-01

New payment rules for dialysis drugs, devices, and comorbidity treatments take effect

Dialysis facilities begin receiving higher Medicare payments for innovative treatments, and patients may start seeing new drugs and devices offered at their clinics

2026-01-01

First forecast error correction applied to dialysis payment rates

Medicare adjusts 2026 dialysis payments upward to account for how much costs were underpredicted in 2021 and 2022, helping clinics cover staffing and supply expenses

Related News

4 articles

DocWire News·14 days ago

New Kidney Care Partners Chair Shares Vision and Key Hurdles for Progress in Kidney Care

The Kidney Care Access Protection Act (KCAPA) would resolve the issue of temporary funding by establishing a long-term payment pathway for innovative drugs, treatments, and technologies, ensuring that breakthrough treatments actually reach those who need them most.

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ASN Kidney News·3 months ago

Kidney Care Faces Rapidly Evolving Policy Landscape

The Kidney Care Access Protection Act, introduced in September 2025, aims to create sustainable pathways for innovation and parity in Medicare Advantage payments for kidney care, which may lead to improvements in payments for innovative drugs and technologies.

Chief Healthcare Executive·4 months ago

We're overdue for a kidney care refresh

Bipartisan lawmakers recently introduced the Kidney Care Access Protection Act (KCAPA), which offers policy solutions to improve payment pathways and ensure that innovative therapies are supported under Medicare Advantage, giving new treatments a fighting chance.

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Related Bills

1 bill

H.R. 6214Related bill

Kidney Care Access Protection Act

Nov 20 — Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.