AKF Congressional Briefing: COVID-19, Health Disparities and the Social Determinants of Health

As part of Kidney Action Week, AKF hosted a virtual congressional briefing that focused on longstanding racial and ethnic health disparities that have come into sharp focus during the COVID-19 pandemic, and how addressing the social determinants of health—which include where you live, access to healthy food, education and employment opportunities—is critical in addressing disparities.

The briefing was moderated by former Congresswoman and member of AKF's Board of Trustees Dr. Donna Christensen (D-VI), and included a terrific panel of speakers:

• Congresswoman Nanette Diaz Barragán (D-CA-44), member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce and Committee on Homeland Security
• Sindy Benavides, CEO of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC)
• Oliver Brooks, M.D., immediate past president, National Medical Association, and chief medical officer of Watts Healthcare
• Patrick Gee, AKF Ambassador and kidney transplant recipient
• Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., M.P.H, FAAFP, chief medical officer for prevention for the American Heart Association
• LaVarne A. Burton, AKF president and CEO

Thanks to all our Ambassadors who tuned into the briefing, and a special thanks to AKF Ambassador Patrick Gee for participating as a panelist and sharing his story and insights. A fuller summary of the briefing can be found in our press release and blog post, and you can watch a recording of the briefing on YouTube.

Share your story: Living with diabetes and kidney disease

November is National Diabetes Awareness Month, a time when AKF educates the public about the leading cause of kidney disease. We are looking for several AKF Ambassadors who are interested in sharing their stories for our educational efforts throughout the month.

If you would like to share your story about living with kidney disease and diabetes, please send a quick email to Chris Copley, senior director of marketing at AKF.

Take action: Expanding access to Medigap coverage

On September 8, Congresswoman Cindy Axne (D-IA) introduced legislation in the House of Representatives, H.R. 8181, the Jack Reynolds Memorial Medigap Expansion Act, that would require insurers nationwide to offer the same Medigap plans to Medicare ESRD beneficiaries under age 65 that all Medicare beneficiaries over age 65 have.

Medigap is supplemental coverage offered by private insurance companies that covers the costs of care that traditional Medicare does not cover. Medicare covers 80% of the cost of outpatient medical services, including dialysis, while beneficiaries are responsible for the remaining 20%, with no annual out-of-pocket limit. For Medicare beneficiaries on dialysis without supplemental coverage, that gets expensive very quickly and can lead to financial ruin. Additionally, most transplant centers will not accept Medicare beneficiaries onto their transplant list of they do not have secondary insurance, such as Medigap. It means that without a Medigap plan, ESRD patients can be denied the lifesaving procedure of a kidney transplant.

Federal law requires that Medigap insurers must offer plans to all beneficiaries age 65 and over, but state law dictates Medigap policy for Medicare beneficiaries under the age of 65. Patients under 65 who are enrolled in Medicare because they have ESRD may not have access to Medigap. There are currently 20 states that do not require insurers to offer Medigap policies to people under the age of 65 with ESRD.

H.R. 8181 would ensure all Medicare beneficiaries with ESRD have access to critical Medigap coverage. Please take two minutes to ask your representative to cosponsor this legislation by sending a message through our website. Your voice matters!