We’ve revamped our Advocacy Newsletter to bring you more in-depth information about legislative and policy issues that matter to people living with kidney disease. Let us know what you think—send an email to Director of Government Relations Deborah Darcy.
TAKE ACTION: Ask Congress to support new legislation to protect AKF’s ability to pay health insurance premiums directly to insurance carriers
Over the last 18 months, some dialysis patients have been receiving letters from insurance companies saying that they will no longer accept payments directly from third-party payers like AKF and other charitable organizations.
Rep. Kevin Cramer (R-ND) introduced legislation on Oct. 9 that would require insurers participating in Affordable Care Act (ACA) Marketplaces to accept premium assistance provided by nonprofit charitable organizations. Read more.
21st Century Cures legislation passes in the House
Legislation that aims to increase targeted investment in biomedical research focusing on breakthroughs passed in the U.S. House of Representatives on July 10. The legislation, H.R. 6, 21st Century Cures, creates a “Cures Innovation Fund” that would provide temporary, mandatory funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The mandatory funding would be $8.75 billion for the NIH over five years, and $550 million for the FDA over five years. Read more.
Long-term budget legislation passes in Congress
On Nov. 2, President Barack Obama signed into law a bill that would provide increased aggregate budget levels for fiscal year (FY) 2016 and FY 2017.
Kidney programs are funded through the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill. For FY 2016, these bills have passed in each chamber’s Appropriations Committee, but neither the Senate nor the House has brought the bill to the floor for a vote.
We will report final funding levels when the bills have been signed into law by President Obama. Read more.
Kidney Community Advocacy Day brings awareness to Capitol Hill
On Sept. 10, we partnered with 15 other groups to advocate for increased funding of kidney research and the Living Donor Protection Act. The kidney community, which consists of health care providers, researchers, consumers, patients and advocates, visited more than 130 congressional offices.
Kidney Community Action Day was organized by the American Society of Nephrology. Read more.
Congress stands with AKF on major kidney disease legislation
Since the introduction of the Chronic Kidney Disease Improvement in Research and Treatment Act of 2015, kidney disease advocacy groups have been lobbying their members of Congress to become cosponsors of this important legislation. Members of our Advocacy Network have been sending emails to their elected officials through our Action Alert. Read more.
Members of Congress show interest in rare kidney diseases
Since the start of the 114th Congress in January 2015, members of Congress have expressed interest in three rare kidney diseases, including Bartter syndrome, renal medullary carcinoma and autosomal recessive polycystic kidney disease. Read more.
U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee honors the memory of AKF Advocate NeShell Monroe
At our Kidney Action Day in Houston on Oct. 4, we hosted a Kidney Action Day Walk in memory of NeShell Monroe. NeShell was an outspoken advocate for people with chronic kidney disease, a dedicated AKF Advocate, and our 2013 Hero of Hope. Sadly, she succumbed to kidney disease in April. Read more.
