Kidney Disease Education Access Expansion Act Would Help More Get the Information They Need Earlier

The current Medicare Kidney Disease Education (KDE) benefit, championed by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and enacted by Congress in 2008, is limited to people with Stage 4 and 5 chronic kidney disease.

The expansion act helps patients understand their treatment options, including dialysis and kidney transplantation, so that they can make informed decisions about their care.

The Kidney Disease Education Access Expansion Act would extend eligibility to:

• People with earlier stages of chronic kidney disease
• People with diabetes who are at high risk of developing kidney disease
• People with high blood pressure (hypertension) who are at high risk of developing kidney disease

Providing education earlier gives people the opportunity to work with their healthcare team to slow disease progression.

The legislation also modernizes how kidney disease education is delivered.

Under the bill, additional healthcare professionals would be eligible to provide education services, including:

• Clinical social workers
• Registered dietitians
• Community health workers

The bill would also expand where patients can receive services, allowing education to be offered in:

• Hospitals
• Physician offices
• Dialysis facilities
• Community-based organizations

The legislation would also add a telemedicine option, making it easier for people to access education regardless of where they live.

The Kidney Disease Education Access Expansion Act builds on decades of progress made by NKF and its advocates. For more than 75 years, NKF has championed policies, programs, and innovations that help identify kidney disease earlier, improve patient outcomes, and expand access to care.

Here are some of the milestones that paved the way for today's efforts to improve kidney health.

Creating the Medicare ESRD Benefit (1972)

NKF led the nationwide advocacy campaign that established Medicare coverage for people with kidney failure regardless of age. This landmark achievement transformed kidney failure from a condition that was often fatal into one that could be treated through dialysis and transplantation.

KDOQI^® Clinical Practice Guidelines (1997)

To improve consistency in kidney care, NKF launched the Kidney Disease Outcomes Quality Initiative (KDOQI^®). The initiative introduced the widely used five-stage classification system for chronic kidney disease, helping healthcare professionals identify and manage CKD earlier and more effectively.

Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP^®) (2000)

NKF created the Kidney Early Evaluation Program (KEEP^®), bringing kidney disease screenings directly into communities across the country. By 2013, the program had reached more than 185,000 people through over 3,500 screening events, becoming the nation's largest sustained community-based CKD screening effort.

Securing Federal Prevention Funding (2006)

NKF worked with congressional champions to secure the first dedicated federal funding for chronic kidney disease detection and prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These investments helped raise awareness about kidney disease risk factors and promote earlier diagnosis.

CKDintercept^® (2014)

NKF launched CKDintercept^® to help health systems identify people at risk for kidney disease and improve early intervention. Participating healthcare organizations have reported significant increases in appropriate CKD testing and improvements in patient outcomes.

The Kidney Disease Education Access Expansion Act represents an important opportunity to expand access to education, support earlier intervention, and help more people avoid kidney failure.

Ask your U.S. Representative to cosponsor H.R. 9509 and support better kidney health for millions of Americans.

Use NKF's Voices for Action Center to contact your elected officials today.