FW: Tell Your Senator to Support S.2320

[Guest guest]

Now we are petitioning the senate….

From: Jayne Mardock

Sent: Tuesday, April 01, 2008 1:05

PM

To: Kreci,

Subject: Tell Your Senator to

Support S.2320

Tell Your Senator to Support S.2320

Extend Immunosuppressive

Drug Coverage

Take Action!

Help us build support for legislation that

will extend Medicare coverage for life-saving immunosuppressive drugs

for the life of the kidney transplant. If passed, patients could

continue to receive these drugs under Medicare Part B with the usual

premium. This is a big step forward to preserve the life of kidney

transplants.

Organ

transplant recipients must take immunosuppressive drugs for the life of

the transplant to prevent the body from rejecting the organ. Currently,

Medicare pays for most kidney transplants but covers drugs for only 36

months after the transplant as part of the Medicare ESRD benefit. After

that, kidney recipients must pay for immunosuppressive drugs through

private insurance, public or pharmaceutical programs or pay

out-of-pocket (Medicare covers drugs without a time limit if the

patient qualifies because of age or disability status).

Immunosuppressive

drugs are expensive, but the alternative is even more costly. Medicare

spends $17,300 per patient to maintain a transplant, but if the kidney

transplant fails, the person returns to dialysis at a cost of over

$68,600 per year to Medicare. And because dialysis is physically

draining, quality of life often suffers too.

Similar

legislation has been introduced in the House of Representatives, and

Take Action volunteers sent over 1100 letters of support in August and

September. Now we need your help to build Senate support for this

important legislation.

Click here for more information or

here to read S. 2320 text.

Please take

a moment to write your Senators today and ask them to co-sponsor S. 2320 . Share your story, or

the story of a loved one, about the experience with immunosuppressive

drug coverage. Thank you!

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