{"id":616707,"date":"2024-04-13T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-04-13T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-kidney-transplant-reforms-can-save-lives-and-reduce-the-deficit\/"},"modified":"2024-04-13T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-04-13T14:00:00","slug":"how-kidney-transplant-reforms-can-save-lives-and-reduce-the-deficit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-kidney-transplant-reforms-can-save-lives-and-reduce-the-deficit\/","title":{"rendered":"#How kidney transplant reforms can save lives and reduce the deficit"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/kidney_transplant_donation_04122023_GettyImages-1481913824.png?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>            <iframe title=\"Audio Article\" id=\"instaread_iframe\" name=\"instaread_playlist\" scrolling=\"no\" allow=\"autoplay\" style=\"display:block\" width=\"100%\" height=\"100%\" frameborder=\"no\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>For months, Congress has debated budget bill after budget bill, narrowly missing government shutdown deadlines\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.crfb.org\/blogs\/upcoming-congressional-fiscal-policy-deadlines\">seemingly every month<\/a>. With a divided Congress and narrow majorities in both chambers, consensus on many topics seems hard to come by nowadays.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Yet, lawmakers of both parties should embrace one area of reform that will save money and lives: kidney transplants and increasing living donations.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>There are several reforms which, if properly aimed at improving the kidney transplant system, will save taxpayer money and improve healthcare outcomes. Currently, living kidney donation lacks meaningful federal support. While several nonprofits and dozens of transplant centers are doing impressive work, minimal federal resources are available to support individuals in need of a donation from a living donor and to support individuals who volunteer to donate a kidney and save a life.<\/p>\n<p>Legislation is needed to build a comprehensive national living organ donor support system consisting of three building blocks.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>First, Congress must authorize kidney transplant navigators for transplant recipients and donors, building on the new Medicare \u201c<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.medicare.gov\/coverage\/principal-illness-navigation-services\">principal illness navigation<\/a>\u201d program. Second, Congress needs to clarify that living donors are entitled to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ropriate cost reimbursement, building on\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.federalregister.gov\/documents\/2020\/09\/22\/2020-20804\/removing-financial-disincentives-to-living-organ-donation\">existing law<\/a>\u00a0that already instructs Medicare to cover all reasonable expenses for living donors. And third, a national living donor education program should be adopted. Together, these key building blocks stack up to create common-sense legislation.<\/p>\n<p>It is no secret that healthcare costs from programs like Medicare and Medicaid\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kff.org\/medicare\/issue-brief\/faqs-on-health-spending-the-federal-budget-and-budget-enforcement-tools\/#:~:text=Figure%201-,Federal%20Spending%20on%20Domestic%20and%20Global%20Health%20Programs%20and%20Services,Federal%20Outlays%20in%20FY%202023&amp;text=Mandatory%20spending%20comprises%20the%20majority,on%20health%20programs%20and%20services.\">dominate federal spending<\/a>. Billions are spent annually on necessary (but often preventable) care meant to improve and extend lives. But we should not blindly spend money on existing program choices. Focusing on living donors and not long-term dialysis treatment would be a remarkable structural shift that benefits both patients and taxpayers.<\/p>\n<p>But don\u2019t just take our word for it. We viewed a private report commissioned by Kidney Transplant Collaborative that found more than\u00a0$6 billion in savings by replacing dialysis costs of approximately $150,000 per year per patient with a one-time transplant cost of $165,000, and ongoing immunosuppression drug costs of $27,000.\u00a0Assuming only a modest growth in living donor transplants, the savings accumulate rapidly, and Medicare would save significant funds.<\/p>\n<p>Although these changes and the benefits that come with them won\u2019t appear overnight, they will save lives.\u00a0We know that in 2023, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/unos.org\/data\/\">more than 6,900 kidney transplants<\/a> came from living donors, while more than 16,000 came from deceased donors. We also know that in the same year, <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/unos.org\/policy\/kidney-pancreas\/\">nearly 90,000 Americans <\/a>were waiting for a kidney transplant, with tens of thousands more in need of a transplant but not yet on the waiting list.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Today, the average wait is\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kidney.org\/atoz\/content\/transplant-waitlist#:~:text=In%20general%2C%20the%20average%20time,match%20with%20the%20available%20kidney\">3-5 years<\/a>. And\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.donors1.org\/learn-about-organ-donation\/who-can-donate\/get-the-facts\/#:~:text=Organ%20%26%20Tissue%20Donation%20Fast%20Facts&amp;text=Sadly%2C%2017%20people%20die%20each,list%20for%20an%20organ%20transplant.with\">17 people<\/a> die each day waiting for an organ transplant,\u00a0with tens of thousands more in need of a transplant but not yet on the waiting list.<strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Despite the increase in deceased donors, the waiting list is simply growing too fast. Without change, we can unfortunately expect an increase in years on the waiting list, and deaths.<\/p>\n<p>Lawmakers in Congress will continue to debate the merits of healthcare reform for years to come. And while voters voice concerns about health care prices and cost of living increases, these reforms offer us an opportunity to tackle both issues head-on. They are not\u00a0just\u00a0about ensuring the government is a good steward of our tax dollars, but will more importantly save the lives of kidney disease patients across the country.<\/p>\n<p>As Congress continues to debate large-scale spending measures and long-term priorities, these provisions offer a non-controversial, common-sense plan for the nation\u2019s health and financial future.<\/p>\n<p><em>Max\u00a0N.\u00a0Rose served as a member of Congress from New York from 2019 to 2021 and as a senior advisor to the Secretary of Defense. Thomas Reed II was a member of Congress from New York from 2010 to 2013.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2024 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/healthcare\/4590216-how-kidney-transplant-reforms-can-save-lives-and-reduce-the-deficit\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For months, Congress has debated budget bill after budget bill, narrowly missing government shutdown deadlines\u00a0seemingly every month. With a divided Congress and narrow majorities in both chambers, consensus on many topics seems hard to come by nowadays.\u00a0 Yet, lawmakers of both parties should embrace one area of reform that will save money and lives: kidney&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":616708,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/04\/kidney_transplant_donation_04122023_GettyImages-1481913824.png?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[70610,149753,80445,90482,124783,149754,73141,134354,94504,141939,149755],"class_list":["post-616707","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-finance","tag-health-spending","tag-healthcare","tag-house","tag-international","tag-kidney-transplantation","tag-max-rose","tag-nexstar-media-wire-news","tag-organ-donation","tag-politics-of-the-united-states","tag-tom-reed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616707","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=616707"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/616707\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/616708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=616707"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=616707"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=616707"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}