Policy & Public Affairs
Patient Care and Clinical Practice
The American Society of Nephrology is dedicated to helping physicians provide the highest quality of patient care possible. To this end, ASN is leading the way in urging Congress, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid, and other federal agencies to enact appropriate renal health policy. In its advocacy efforts, ASN focuses on the impact of policy additions and modifications on the quality, quantity, and accessibility of patient care. Additionally, ASN leads and collaborates with coalitions of like-minded organizations to further advance the Society's patient care policy goals. Current patient care and clinical practice areas of interest that ASN is monitoring include:
Recent and Current Congressional Activities
To help members remain abreast of current congressional attention to policy impacting kidney disease patient care and clinical practice, ASN provides an overview of current and recent legislation related to the topics. Please note that this site is updated periodically to reflect new bills in progress.
Public Comment and Advocacy
ASN often publicly comments on bills in progress and current issues relating to kidney disease care. In this section, ASN highlights its advocacy efforts and interactions with lawmakers and regulators as well as collaborative activities ASN conducts in association wih coalitions and similar societies.
Policy and Patient Care Issues of Interest
ASN recognizes the importance of clinician awareness and understanding of health policy issues. It is imperative that nephrologists possess an understanding of proposed and pending changes to kidney disease-related policy, enabling them to play an active role in its design and anticipate its impact on patient care and clinical practice. To facilitate this goal, ASN provides background information on current health policy topics and federal agency activities relating to renal health care.
Dialysis and End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
Centers for Medicare and Medicare Services
Patient Care
Transplantation
Drug and Pharmaceutical Issues
Electronic Health Records
Press: Kidney Disease in the News Media
In this section, ASN provides links to recent articles addressing kidney disease and renal health published in the general news media.
Health Policy: Highlights in ASN & Peer-Reviewed Publications
In this section, ASN features recent articles published in Kidney News, JASN, and the peer-reviewed publications of similar organizations that discuss health care policy relating to renal care or that provide information pertinent to policymakers as they consider policy options for kidney disease patients and providers.
- Race, Gender, and Socioeconomic Disparities in CKD in the United States.
- Norris, Keith & Nissenson, Allen. JASN. 2008.
- The Patient-Centered Medical Home and Nephrology. DuBose et al. JASN.
- 2008.
- Let's Get Serious About Racial and Ethnic Disparities. Powe, Neil. JASN.
- 2008.
- Transplant Disparities. Ojo, Akinlolu. Kidney News. 2009.
- Cost, Quality, and Value The Changing Political Economy of Dialysis Care.
- Himmelfarb, Jonathan. JASN. 2007.
- The Declaration of Istanbul on Organ Trafficking and Transplant Tourism.
- CJASN. 2008.
- The Hazards of Transplant Tourism. Delmonico, Francis. CJASN. 2009.
- ESRD as a Window into America’s Cost Crisis in Health Care. Knauf, F &
- Aronson, P. JASN. August 2009.
ASN Partner Organizations
ASN collaborates with numerous governmental and non-governmental organizations to discuss, advocate for, and enact policy addressing renal health care.
Budget and Appropriations
FY 2010 Appropriations Measures
Contact ASN
Please contact ASN's Policy Associate, Rachel Shaffer, at rshaffer@asn-online.org or by phone at (202) 416-0660 for further assistance.
Patient-Centered Medical Home(PCMH): ASN Task Force Report & Four Case Studies
Current Patient Care Legislation
| House Legislation |
Senate Legislation |
Bill Number: H.R. 3962 (House health reform bill)
Title: To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.
Introduced: 10/29/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: No Senate companion legislation exists at this time.
Bill Sponsor: Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI)
Bill Overview: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.03962:
Provisions Relating to Kidney Care Include:
- Access to ownership and compensation agreement
- information on certain renal dialysis facilities.
- Extended months of coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for
- kidney transplant patients and other renal dialysis provisions.
- Including oral drugs that are not the oral equivalent of an
- intravenous drug (such as oral phosphate binders and calcimimetics) in the Medicare bundled rate payment.
- Allow dialysis facilities to make ‘an election, with respect to
- 2011, 2012, or 2013, to be excluded from the bundled rate payment phase-in (or the remainder of the phase-in) for such year and for each subsequent year during the phase-in.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
10/29/2009: Introduced in House
11/7/2009: Committee on Energy and Commerce discharged
11/7/2009: Passed/agreed to in House
11/16/2009: Read the second time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders
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Bill Number: H.R. 3590 (Senate health reform bill)
Title: Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Amendment in Senate)
Introduced: 9/17/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: Special note: Because legislation dealing with revenue must originate in the House, the Senate used an unrelated House bill and struck all language. This bill now serves as the vehicle for health reform debate in the Senate.
Bill Sponsor: Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY)
Bill Overview: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.03590:
Provisions Relating to Kidney Care Include:
- Formation of a pathway for the licensure of biosimilar
- biological products.
- Application of quality measures
Current Status & Recent Activities:
9/17/2009: Introduced in House
10/8/2009: Passed/agreed to in House: On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by the Yeas and Nays
10/8/2009: Received in the Senate. Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar
12/12/2009: Senate floor actions: Cloture motion on the Crapo motion to commit presented in Senate.
12/24/09: Passed/agreed to in Senate with an amendment.
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Bill Number: H.R. 3961
Title: To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to reform the Medicare SGR payment system for physicians and to reinstitute and update the Pay-As-You-Go requirement of budget neutrality on new tax and mandatory spending legislation, enforced by the threat of annual, automatic sequestration.
Introduced: 10/29/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: No companion Senate legislation exists at this time.
Bill Sponsor: Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI)
Bill Overview: Revises the Medicare sustainable growth rate (SGR) payment system for determining the annual updates to the Medicare physician fee schedule.
Sets as a transitional update for 2010 to the single conversion factor in the formula for determining the schedule the percentage increase in the Medicare economic index, an index of inputs required to produce physician service. Rebases the update adjustment factor for 2011 and subsequent years. Limits to physicians' services under the fee schedule (excluding those incidental to a physician visit) the services covered in the target growth rate computation. Establishes two categories of physician services: (1) evaluation, management, and preventive services; and (2) all other physician services. Prescribes a separate target growth rate and conversion factor update for each such category.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
10/29/2009: Introduced in House
11/19/2009: Passed/agreed to in House
11/20/2009: Received in the Senate.
12/24/2009: Read the first time. Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under Read the First Time.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.03961:
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No companion Senate legislation exists at this time.
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Bill Number: H.R. 3326
Title: Making appropriations for the Department of Defense for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2010, and for other purposes.
Introduced: 1/6/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: N/A: This bill has now been signed into law.
Bill Sponsor: Rep. John Murtha (D-PA)
Bill Overview: Appropriates funds for FY2010 for active-duty and reserve personnel in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force (the military departments), and for National Guard personnel in the Army and Air Force. This bill was also modified in part to include extensions of some direct spending programs and other authorities as Division B ("Other Matters") of the Act, including a two-month delay until March 1, 2010, of a 21.2% cut in physician payments called for by the Medicare SGR formula.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
7/24/2009: Introduced in House
7/24/2009: The House Committee on Appropriations reported an original measure, H. Rept. 111-230, by Mr. Murtha.
7/30/2009: Passed/agreed to in House: On passage Passed by the Yeas and Nays: 400 - 30 (Roll no. 675).
9/10/2009: Committee on Appropriations. Reported by Senator Inouye with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. With written report No. 111-74.
10/6/2009: Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment.
12/16/2009: Resolving differences -- House actions.
12/19/2009: Resolving differences -- Senate actions.
12/19/2009: Cleared for White House.
12/19/2009: Presented to President.
12/19/2009: Signed by President.
12/19/2009: Became Public Law No: 111-118.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:h.r.03326:
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N/A: This bill has now been signed into law.
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Bill Number: H.R. 3200
Title: "America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009" To provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes.
Introduced: 7/14/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: N/A
Bill Sponsor: Rep. John D. Dingell (D-MI)
Bill Overview: A bill to reform health care in order to provide affordable, quality health care for all Americans and reduce the growth in health care spending, and for other purposes. Major provisions in the bill include measures to:
- Set forth provisions governing health insurance plans
- and issuers
- Establish the Health Insurance Exchange within the Health
- Choices Administration in order to provide individuals and employers access to health insurance coverage choices, including a public health insurance option
- Amend title XVIII (Medicare) of the Social Security Act to revise
- provisions relating to payment, coverage, and access
- Require the Secretary of Health and Human Service (HHS) to
- provide for the development of quality measures for the delivery of health care services in the United States
- Establish a Center for Comparative Effectiveness Research
- within the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
- Set forth provisions relating to the health workforce
Provisions Relating to Kidney Care Include:
- Formation of a pathway for the licensure of biosimilar
- biological products.
- Access to ownership and compensation agreement information
- on certain renal dialysis facilities.
- Application of quality measures
- Extended months of coverage of immunosuppressive drugs
- for kidney transplant patients and other renal dialysis provisions.
- Expands Medicare's telehealth benefit to beneficiaries who
- are receiving care at freestanding dialysis centers.
- Sustainable growth rate reform.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
7/31/2009: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 31 - 28.
7/21/2009: House committee/subcommittee actions: Committee Consideration and Mark-up Session held.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.3200:
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No companion Senate legislation exists at this time. |
Bill Number: H.R. 3071
Title: Everson Walls and Ron Springs Gift for Life Act of 2009
Introduced: 6/26/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: S. 1463
Bill Sponsor: Rep. William "Lacy" Clay (D-MO)
Bill Overview: To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a National Organ and Tissue Donor Registry Resource Center, to authorize grants for State organ and tissue donor registries, and for other purposes.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
6/26/2009: Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.3071:
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Bill Number: S.1463
Title: Everson Walls and Ron Springs Gift for Life Act of 2009
Introduced: 7/16/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: H.R. 3071
Bill Sponsor: Sen. Roland Burris (D-IL)
Bill Overview: To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a National Organ and Tissue Donor Registry Resource Center, to authorize grants for State organ and tissue donor registries, and for other purposes.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
7/16/2009: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:S.1463:
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Bill Number: H.R. 2776
Title: Living Organ Donor Job Security Act
Introduced: 6/9/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: N/A
Bill Sponsor: Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX)
Bill Overview: Amends the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to entitle employees covered by FMLA to leave to provide a living organ donation, including for time spent for: (1) tests to determine medical suitability of the employee for donation; (2) physical, psychological, and social evaluations of the donor; (3) pre-transplant outpatient services; (4) postoperative inpatient and outpatient transplantation services; (5) travel in connection with such tests, evaluations, and services; and (6) recuperation.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
6/26/2009: Referred to the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Post Office, and the District of Columbia.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.2776:
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No companion Senate legislation exists at this time. |
Bill Number: H.R. 1548
Title: Pathway for Biosimilars Act
Introduced: 3/17/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: N/A
Bill Sponsor: Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA)
Bill Overview: To amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a pathway for the licensure of biosimilar biological products, and for other purposes. H.R. 1548 would provide up to 12 years of data exclusivity to manufacturer of a new biologic product, and up to 14 years for a previously approved product if it is approved for a new indication within the first 8 years after its initial approval. There is an additional 6-month exclusivity extension for pediatric applications.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
3/17/2009: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.1548:
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No companion Senate legislation exists at this time. |
Bill Number: H.R. 1458
Title: Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2009
Introduced: 3/12/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: S. 565
Bill Sponsor: Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI)
Bill Overview:A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide continued entitlement to coverage for immunosuppressive drugs furnished to beneficiaries under the Medicare Program that have received a kidney transplant and whose entitlement to coverage would otherwise expire, and for other purposes.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
3/12/2009: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committees on Energy and Commerce, and Education and Labor, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
4/29/2009: Referred to the Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.1458:
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Bill Number: S. 565
Title: Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2009
Introduced: 3/10/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: H.R. 1458
Bill Sponsor: Rep. Richard Durbin (D-IL)
Bill Overview:A bill to amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide continued entitlement to coverage for immunosuppressive drugs furnished to beneficiaries under the Medicare Program that have received a kidney transplant and whose entitlement to coverage would otherwise expire, and for other purposes.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
3/10/2009: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:S.565:
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Bill Number: H.R. 1427
Title: Promoting Innovation and Access to Life-Saving Medicine Act
Introduced: 3/11/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: S. 726
Bill Sponsor: Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA)
Bill Overview: A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the licensing of biosimilar and biogeneric biological products, and for other purposes. H.R. 1427 would provide up to 3 years of data exclusivity to manufacturer of a new biologic product, and up to 5 years for a previously approved product if it is approved for a new indication after its initial approval. There is an additional 6-month exclusivity extension for pediatric applications.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
3/11/2009: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned. H.R. 1427 would provide twelve years of data exclusivity to manufacturer of the reference (original) product.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.1427:
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Bill Number: S. 726
Title: Promoting Innovation and Access to Life-Saving Medicine Act
Introduced: 3/26/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: H.R. 1427
Bill Sponsor: Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY)
Bill Overview: A bill to amend the Public Health Service Act to provide for the licensing of biosimilar and biogeneric biological products, and for other purposes. S. 726 would provide up to 3 years of data exclusivity to manufacturer of a new biologic product, and up to 5 years for a previously approved product if it is approved for a new indication after its initial approval. There is an additional 6-month exclusivity extension for pediatric applications.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
3/26/2009: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:S.726:
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Bill Number: H.R. 306
Title: Kidney Disease Educational Benefit Act of 2009
Introduced: 1/8/2009
Companion House Legislation: N/A
Bill Sponsor: Rep. Mark Kirk (R-IL)
Bill Overview: To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to provide coverage for kidney disease education services under the Medicare Program, and for other purposes.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
1/8/2009: Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.306:
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No companion Senate legislation exists at this time. |
Bill Number: H.R. 218
Title: Living Organ Donor Tax Credit Act of 2009
Introduced: 1/6/2009
Companion Senate Legislation: N/A
Bill Sponsor: Rep. Addison "Joe" Wilson (R-SC)
Bill Overview: Amends the Internal Revenue Code to allow a nonrefundable tax credit for a donation of a qualified life-saving organ for transplantation by a living individual into another individual. Defines "qualified life-saving organ" as a kidney, liver, lung, pancreas, intestine, bone marrow, or any part thereof. Limits the annual amount of such credit to $5,000 of the unreimbursed costs and lost wages incurred by an organ donor in connection with an organ transplant.
Current Status & Recent Activities:
1/6/2009: Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
More Information: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/bdquery/z?d111:H.R.218:
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No companion Senate legislation exists at this time. |
Note: Bills are listed in order of their introduction in the House of Representatives, with the most recently introduced bill at the top of the chart.