American Society of Nephrology Policy Priorities Included in Congressional Spending Draft Package

Top advocacy goals the American Society of Nephrology (ASN) has championed throughout the 118th Congress have been included in draft text for a large end-of-year legislative package on Capitol Hill.

“Many of the people with kidney diseases that I have the privilege of serving have come to rely on telehealth to access the care they need to maintain their kidney health, and I am grateful that, if finalized, this package would allow them to continue to do so,” she added. “Moreover, ASN has vociferously called on Congress to ensure health professionals who provide care through Medicare are treated fairly, and the provisions to avert a major cut to their payment are a big step in the right direction.”

Honor Our Living Donors Act Broad consensus exists that living donors should not face out-of-pocket costs for donation, and a government-funded program exists to support the most socioeconomically disadvantaged Americans through reimbursement for donation-related costs. The HOLD Act simplifies the process of determining eligibility for the program and should facilitate the process of giving the gift of life for many willing Americans who today may face financial hurdles to donating.

Telehealth Extensions ASN and the broader health care community have consistently advocated to provide ongoing Medicare coverage for telehealth services from the home for all Americans regardless of geography. These flexible policies began in the pandemic and were set to expire at the end of December 2024. This package would extend that date until December 31, 2026. Notably, Medicare’s first foray into allowing home-based telehealth coverage was for people undergoing home dialysis, under the 2018 Bipartisan Budget Act.

Medicare Physician Payment Cut Fix Medicare had finalized payment for physician services in 2025 that included a 2.85 percent cut overall. The end-of-year package would reduce that cut to just 0.3 percent – restoring 2.5 percent. This relief would be a temporary measure only for 2025. ASN will continue to advocate for a permanent inflationary adjustment to the Medicare Physician Fee Schedule in the next Congress.

Transplant System Reform Funding The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is in the early stages of implementing the sweeping 2023 Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Act, legislation ASN also championed earlier in the 118th Congress, that would modernize our nation’s transplant system. The end-of-year package grants HRSA the authority to collect and use revenue from a crucial source of funding to implement reforms and carry out the duties of the transplant system via the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. This authority would sunset after three years, pending Congressional review. The provision includes several components encouraging technology adoption and interoperability in the transplant system, other ASN goals.

“I am immensely grateful to the many kidney health champions in Congress, as well as the House and Senate leadership, for their recognition and support for these crucial opportunities to advance kidney health for millions of Americans,” said Dr. Crews. “The ASN leadership, staff, and more than 21,000 members look forward to another productive session in partnership with the 119th Congress as well as with the incoming administration, building on the 2019 Advancing American Kidney Health Executive Order.” 

(Newswise/CG)