Transplant drug coverage bill long overdue
Nineteen years ago, my brother gave me one of his kidneys. Like other kidney transplant recipients, each day I must take immunosuppressive drugs which help prevent rejection. Medicare pays for dialysis and most kidney transplants, but covers the cost of the drugs for only 36 months post-transplant.
As a federal employee, I have health insurance which helps pay for a large part of the cost of my medications. Others, however, are not as fortunate. Because the cost of the drugs is well beyond what many can afford, some kidney recipients are forced to return to dialysis.
Sen. Dick Durbin has introduced the "Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Transplant Patients Act" (S. 565), a bill which will extend Medicare coverage of immunosuppressant drugs for the life of the transplant. S. 565 will not only make transplantation available to Americans for whom it was previously not an option because of financial obstacles, but it will help thousands of Americans keep their transplants longer by helping them pay for their medication. Because immunosuppressant drugs cost less than dialysis, this bill will also save taxpayers money, which is an added benefit in this time of economic crisis and rising health care costs.
The National Kidney Foundation supports this legislation through its comprehensive action plan called "End the Wait." This exciting new initiative will improve the outcomes of first transplants, increase donation and improve our transplantation system. Senator Durbin's bill is an important first step toward accomplishing the goals of the NKF and "End the Wait." With more than 3,700 people waiting for a kidney transplant in Illinois alone, the benefits this bill will provide are long overdue. S. 565 must become law, for the sake of all taxpayers and countless transplant recipients.
Christine Duda Lipuma
National Kidney Foundation "People Like Us" patient advocate
Downers Grove