Learning about insurance options and choosing a plan that is right for you can be confusing and overwhelming under the best of circumstances. If you are managing a diagnosis of kidney disease, especially if you are on dialysis or are considering a kidney transplant, there are a few extra insurance-related elements you may want to know about - the most significant of which is the role that Medicare can play in your treatment.

 

Typically, Medicare is an insurance option for people over 65 years old - but there is a special entitlement that allows people who have kidney failure (also known as End Stage Renal Disease; or ESRD) to enroll. 

Medicare pays:

 

• 80% of the cost of dialysis treatment

• And 80% of the cost of immunosuppressant medications after transplant

 

In 1972, Medicare benefits were extended to cover the high cost of medical care for most individuals suffering from permanent kidney failure also known as end-stage renal disease (ESRD); people whose kidneys have failed and need dialysis or a kidney transplant to live. To this day, kidney failure is one of only two medical conditions that gives people the option to enroll in Medicare without a two-year waiting period, regardless of age. Because Medicare for people with ESRD was established separately and later, there are some specific rules around eligibility and coverage of Medicare for dialysis and transplant patients.

 

• Learn More about Medicare and Kidney Disease.

• Insurance and Kidney Failure: What You Need to Know