American Kidney Fund shares support for the Build Back Better Act
The American Kidney Fund praised provisions made within the Build Back Better Act that are designed to help Americans with chronic kidney disease and kidney failure, according to a press release.
“Access to affordable, comprehensive health insurance and primary care physicians is the first step to ensuring that CKD is found early, which can provide kidney patients with early interventions that can slow or halt the progression of the disease,” LaVarne A. Burton, president and CEO of the American Kidney Fund (AKF), said in the press release. “Expansion of Medicaid and enhanced Affordable Care Act (ACA) tax credits so more people in the United States can afford health insurance has been a longstanding policy priority of AKF. We are so pleased to see these provisions in the Build Back Better Act, as they will help kidney patients who rely on Medicaid, Medicare and private insurance.”
According to the release, the Build Back Better Act will provide coverage to patients located in states without Medicaid who have incomes too high for Medicaid and too low to qualify for ACA tax subsidies. The Build Back Better Act is designed to expand ACA tax credits to patients in this lower threshold.
Additionally, this legislation is designed to expand the Federal Medical Assistance Percentage that the AKF previously advocated for from 90% to 93% from 2023 to 2025, provide a $2,000 prescription drug cap to help patients with out-of-pocket payments and extend provisions from the American Rescue Plan to help patients retain health insurance.
AKF “applauds the U.S. House of Representatives” for including these provisions in the Build Back Better Act, according to the release.