Advocacy & Government Relations
Issues and Legislation
The National Kidney Foundation advocates for public policies that help prevent kidney disease and improve the lives and care of those impacted by the disease. Below is information about our current legislative priorities.
- Dialysis – Legislation in Congress would establish a Medicare educational benefit for patients with advanced kidney disease before they require dialysis or transplantation.
- Chronic Kidney Disease – NKF is calling on Congress to expand the Chronic Kidney Disease Control Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to support early detection and treatment among high-risk populations.
- Transplantation and Organ Donation – To help close the gap that exists between the need for organs for transplantation and organ availability, NKF advocates for ways to increase the supply of organs for transplantation.
- Medicare – As a critical source of health coverage for kidney disease patients, NKF works with Congress and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to ensure Medicare benefits meet the diverse needs of kidney patients.
- Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage – The National Kidney Foundation has long-advocated for allowing all ESRD transplant recipients to receive coverage of immunosuppressive drugs beyond the 36 month limit through Medicare Part B. Recipients would pay the Part B premium, and Medicare would act as secondary payer for those recipients who have another form of health care coverage. All other health care needs for transplant recipients, who are not aged or disabled, would remain subject to the ESRD 36 month coverage limit.
HR 3162: Children's Health and Medicare Protection Act of 2007 ("CHAMP") (PDF* 15kb download)
*PDF files require Adobe Acrobat Reader 
