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Ohio dialysis caregivers, patient advocates, physicians oppose proposed constitutional amendment
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Patient advocates and Ohio dialysis caregivers expressed their opposition to a proposed constitutional amendment on dialysis filed July 4 with the Ohio Secretary of State by the Service Employees International Union-United Healthcare Workers West, which seeks to pass a similar ballot issue in California this fall.
The Ohio Renal Association (ORA) described the proposed amendment as “deceptive and unnecessary.”
“This proposed Ohio Constitutional Amendment is deceptive and unnecessary, and carelessly puts the health of Ohio’s kidney dialysis patients at great risk,” Diane Wish, president of ORA, said in a press release from the association. “If passed, this proposal would force some dialysis clinics to cut back, consolidate or close, reducing access to care for Ohioans, especially those in disadvantaged, underserved or sparsely populated areas of Ohio.”
According to the release, the proposed amendment would mandate revenue limits for Ohio dialysis clinics and require rebates to private health insurance companies should revenues exceed those limits.
“The sponsors of this amendment demonstrated an obvious lack of understanding of the needs of dialysis patients and comprehensive set of medical protocols and regulations that already govern the delivery of dialysis in Ohio,” Chris Saunders, MD, a nephrologist from Columbus, said in the release.
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