Opinion: Congress should end dialysis companies’ third-party games with insurance coverage
The Covid-19 relief bill that President Joe Biden signed into law in March temporarily expanded the subsidies available to people who buy their health insurance through marketplaces established under the Affordable Care Act, and the administration has proposed to make those subsidies permanent as part of the American Families Plan. To help pay for that effort, Congress should end a game that big dialysis companies play with insurance to pad their profits at federal expense.
Approximately 470,000 Americans with kidney failure undergo dialysis, a life-saving but expensive treatment, generally three times a week. Most of them are eligible for comprehensive coverage through Medicare, even if they are under 65. Others are eligible for state Medicaid programs.
