Every year, the American Kidney Fund (AKF) hosts an advocacy day on Capitol Hill to support legislation for kidney disease. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s event was the first “Virtual Fly-in” version. The virtual event included 23 AKF Ambassadors from across the country, who met by phone with their U.S. representatives and senators to ask them to support three important pieces of legislation related to kidney disease.*

Who are the AKF Ambassadors, and what issues were discussed?

The AKF Ambassadors are made up of dialysis patients, kidney transplant recipients, and kidney donors. They represent a diverse group of individuals, consisting of multiple minorities and a wide range of ages.

On the table were three pieces of legislation regarding health disparities and how to improve the quality of life for Americans living with kidney disease. AKF Ambassador Leigh-Ann Williams stated, “As a Black American with a Master’s in Public Health, I know firsthand how health disparities influence health equity and lead to disproportionate numbers of chronic disease cases in minority communities. This is why we fight!”

What are the three pieces of legislation?

The three pieces of legislation discussed during the “Virtual Fly-in” included H.R 663, Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) of 2020, H.R. 6561 Improving Social Determinants of Health Acts of 2020, and H.R. 5534 / S. 3353, Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act. 

H.R 6637, Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA) of 2020

If passed, this bill aims to address health disparities in the following ways:

• Increase kidney disease research in minority populations, and increase the inclusion of minority participants in clinical trials.
• Create an action by the National Institutes of Health (NHI) around public health strategies, prevention, diagnosis, disease management, and awareness of kidney disease.
• Require the NIH to develop a national action plan to increase access to home dialysis.
• Expand research into kidney transplant rates in minority populations and examine how these impact access to care.
• Study treatment patterns by insurance type (Medicare, Medicaid, private insurers)
• Add dialysis to the definition of primary care services, which would increase access to care in underserved areas.

H.R. 6561 Improving Social Determinants of Health Acts of 2020  

Where a person lives, learns, works, and plays affects a wide range of health and quality-of-life outcomes and risks. This bill would aim to create social and physical environments to promote good health for all. 

Through grant funding distributed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), programs, practices, and policies could be put in place to positively influence health in multiple areas. These areas include financial stability, education, social and community context, healthcare, and neighborhood environment.  

H.R. 5534/S. 3353, Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act  

When a person starts dialysis, he or she almost always automatically qualifies for Medicare regardless of his or her age. Unfortunately, when a patient has a transplant and is still under the age of 65, they will lose their Medicare eligibility after three years. 

When this happens, they also lose medication coverage of expensive immunosuppressive drugs. If they cannot afford the medications and are unable to take them as prescribed, the transplanted kidney can fail, which is when dialysis would be warranted again. If the bill is passed, it would extend Medicare coverage indefinitely for the life of the transplanted kidney.

Additional information can be found on the U.S. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s page on “Social Determinants of Health.”

*American Kidney Fund. (2020, July 16). American Kidney Fund’s First Digital Advocacy Day Supports Bills to Advance Health Equity, Reducing Health Disparities and Extending Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage.