Life-saving Legislation to Improve Drug Coverage for Transplant Recipients

With your support, we are fighting to extend Medicare’s coverage for immunosuppressive medications to ensure all patients have access to these lifesaving drugs.
 
On January 8th, Dr. Matthew Cooper, a member of NKF’s National Board of Directors, testified before the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee to support the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act (H.R. 5534).
 
It will extend Medicare coverage of Immunosuppressant drugs for the life of a kidney transplant, beyond the 36-month post-transplant limitation currently in place covering these lifesaving medications. These drugs are crucial to preventing rejection of the donated organ by the patient’s immune system and patients must take immunosup-pressive drugs for the life of the transplant. Based on two separate analysis by the Department of Health and Human Services in 2019, Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant patients will not only save lives but save taxpayers between $73 million and $300 million over 10 years.
 
When patients can’t afford their medications, they often risk their transplant by skipping doses, splitting their pills, or are forced to make difficult choices between paying for basic necessities or for medicine they need to prevent losing their transplant.
 
“As a transplant surgeon for nearly 20 years, I have witnessed firsthand the impact of this shortsighted policy,” Dr. Cooper testified. “Patients struggle to pay for the immunosuppressive drugs needed to maintain the health of their transplant when their Medicare coverage ends, especially lower income patients who lack group health insurance or do not qualify for Medicaid or other assistance.
 
Subcommittee Chair and Co-sponsor of the legislation Anna Eshoo (D-CA) commented, “This bill will move. It just makes sense.”