[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 3 (Thursday, January 8, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E50]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




             KIDNEY DISEASE EDUCATION BENEFITS ACT OF 2009

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MARK STEVEN KIRK

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 8, 2009

  Mr. KIRK. Madam Speaker, today, I am introducing the Kidney Disease 
Education Benefits Act. As co-Chairman of the Congressional Kidney 
Caucus, I am proud to join with my fellow Kidney Caucus co-Chairman, 
Congressman Jim McDermott (D-WA) to introduce this important 
initiative.
  Each year, some 80,000 people are diagnosed with End-Stage Renal 
Disease. This stage of kidney disease occurs when the kidneys function 
at less than 10 percent and, as a result, are no longer able to 
maintain life. Patients with kidney disease require regular kidney 
dialysis treatments or a transplant to survive. Medicare pays for most 
renal patients at the cost of $20 billion a year, nearly 7 percent of 
all Medicare expenditures, despite the fact that the kidney disease 
population represents just 1.1 percent of all Medicare patients.
  Complications associated with kidney disease are common, but can be 
reduced if appropriate education is provided prior to the onset of 
renal failure. There are a number of steps chronic kidney disease 
patients can take to reduce renal failure and better prepare themselves 
for dialysis, including making lifestyle changes, learning about renal 
replacement options, and seeking a compatible kidney donor. Medicare, 
however, does not provide coverage for education on nutrition, 
treatment options, venous access, or transplant coordination until 
after the patient has experienced kidney failure and is already 
undergoing dialysis.
  To remedy this situation, we are introducing the Kidney Disease 
Education Benefits Act of 2009 to make counseling available to patients 
before they begin dialysis. This is a top National Kidney Foundation 
legislative priority. Our bill would provide reimbursement for an 
estimated $10 million per year for up to six educational sessions for 
Medicare patients. These sessions would be offered one year prior to 
kidney failure to help prevent renal failure, better prepare these 
patients for dialysis, and save Medicare costs that can be associated 
with complications resulting from renal failure.
  Kidney disease cannot be reversed, but, with appropriate education, 
its effects can be slowed, improving the quality of life for renal 
patients and reducing costs to taxpayers. I would like to thank 
Congressman McDermott for joining me in the fight against kidney 
disease. I look forward to working with him and my other colleagues on 
this important initiative.

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