For patients with kidney failure and/or end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), kidney transplants or dialysis are the only options to continue living. Receiving a transplant may take years, depending on where you live as well as other factors. Therefore, dialysis tends to be the go-to option for millions of patients. 

Dialysis patients can either receive treatment at home or a center, but approximately 85% of patients receive treatment at a center. Recently, U.S. Representatives Bobby L. Rush (D-Ill) and Jason Smith (R-MO) introduced bipartisan legislation to expand access to home dialysis. Learn more on why they are doing this and what the new legislation will change.

Why May Home Dialysis Be a Better Option?

There are numerous benefits to home dialysis when compared to in-center dialysis, including but not limited to: 

• Improved outcomes and fewer hospitalizations 
• Better flexibility
• It makes it easier to maintain employment
• No transportation barriers 
• Lower risk of contracting COVID-19

Do Racial Disparities Affect Dialysis Treatment?

“Home dialysis increases the survival, autonomy, and financial stability of the 800,000 Americans living with kidney failure and is especially important during the COVID-19 pandemic, which puts the health of people with kidney diseases at extreme risk,” said Susan Quaggin, President of the American Society of Nephrology. “However, only 12.5% of people undergoing dialysis do so at home, while Black Americans, Hispanic or Latinx Americans, and Asian Americans are between 7%-35% less likely than white Americans to receive home dialysis, a disparity due entirely to social determinants of health.” 

What Will the New Legislation Change?

The Access to Home Dialysis Act will address social determinants and make home dialysis more accessible to all Americans. 

More specifically, U.S. Representatives Rush and Smith would like the new legislation to:

• Ensure all kidney patients are educated about home dialysis early in their treatment process and given the support they need
• Provide Medicare reimbursement for trained, professional staff to visit home dialysis patients and assist with treatments
• Require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to conduct a study on the racial disparities in the utilization of home dialysis and provide concrete data on outcomes for in-center and home dialysis patients

This act was widely supported by the kidney community. Kevin Longino, CEO of the National Kidney Foundation, states, “By providing patients with the support and training they need, this legislation will lead to better patient health outcomes, improved quality of life, and reduced risk for exposure to COVID-19. We sincerely thank the bipartisan members of Congress who stood up for kidney patients and introduced this important legislation.”

*Rush Introduces Bipartisan Legislation to Expand Home Dialysis, Ensure Kidney Patients Are Educated About Full Range of Treatment Options. (2021, September 29). Congressman Bobby L. Rush | Representing the 1st District of Illinois. https://rush.house.gov/media-center/press-releases/rush-introduces-bipartisan-legislation-expand-home-dialysis-ensure?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=moving_health_home_update&utm_term=2021-10-01