Supporters submit signatures to qualify Ohio ballot initiative to improve patient care at dialysis clinics

Supporters of the proposed Kidney Dialysis Patient Protection Amendment have reported more than 475,000 signatures have been submitted to Ohio state election officials in an effort to qualify the initiative for the Nov. 6, 2018 ballot.

The initiative aims to improve patient care at dialysis clinics by requiring annual health and safety inspections and reports of patient care chargers by dialysis clinics. The Kidney Dialysis Patient Protection Amendment would also impose limits on how much clinics can charge for patient care and have penalties for overcharging for care.

According to a press release from Kidney Patients Deserve Better, more than 18,000 Ohio residents received dialysis at clinics in 2015. The release also noted that DaVita and Fresenius charged private insurance companies an average of 350% above the actual cost of treatment last year. DaVita and Fresenius operate 73% of dialysis clinics in Ohio.

“When talking with Ohio voters, they shared so many stories of loved ones with kidney failure being overlooked by the health care system,” Ean Bett, MD, an Ohio physician who supports the initiative, said in the release. “The goal of this initiative is to protect those patients – not the profits of dialysis corporations – and that’s why voters were so enthusiastic about getting this on the November ballot.”

A poll of 600 likely voters conducted by Benenson Strategy Group indicated 67% of respondents support the initiative. Supporters, having met and passed their goal of 305,591 signatures, expect Ohio Secretary of State to announce whether the amendment will appear on the ballot by July 24.

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