The Subcommittee on Health of the Committee on Energy and Commerce met in open markup session on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. One of the bills that was voted to advance was H.R. 5534, the “Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act.”
Chairwoman Eshoo, (D-CA) pointed out that “while Medicare covers a lifetime of dialysis, kidney transplant recipients currently lose their Medicare coverage 36 after transplant. This doesn’t make any sense.”
Congressman Burgess (R-TX), who was one of the original sponsors of the bill said, “The Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act is something I have been working on for nearly a decade.” He went on to say, “a kidney transplant is an investment that the government makes into that patient’s future. Unfortunately, that investment is lost, and the patient’s health is jeopardized if they cannot get their immunosuppressive drugs and reject their kidney.”
The bill is now set to move forward to the House of Representatives for consideration and vote. We still have work to do. Please take action today to let your representatives and senators know how important this bill is to you.
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