Kidney Transplantation - in The US Health System

In The US Health System

Transplant recipients must take immunosuppressive anti-rejection drugs for as long as the transplanted kidney functions. For the routine immunosuppressives Prograf, Cellcept and prednisone, these drugs cost US$1,500 per month. In 1999 Congress passed a law that restricts Medicare from paying for more than three years for these drugs, unless the patient is otherwise Medicare eligible. Transplant programs may not transplant a patient unless the patient has a reasonable plan to pay for medication after the medicare expires, however, patients are almost never turned down for financial reasons alone. 50% of patients with end-stage renal disease only have Medicare coverage.

In March 2009 a bill was introduced in the Senate, 565 and in the House, H.R. 1458 that will extend Medicare coverage of the drugs for as long as the patient has a functioning transplant. This means that patients who have lost their jobs and insurance will not also lose their kidney and be forced back on dialysis. Dialysis is currently using up $17 billion yearly of Medicare funds and total care of these patients amounts to over 10% of the entire Medicare budget.