The Honorable Max Baucus
Chairman
Committee on Finance
United States Senate
219 Dirksen Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Charles Grassley
Ranking Member
Committee on Finance
United States Senate
219 Dirksen Senate Building
Washington, DC 20510
Dear Senators Baucus and Grassley:
On behalf of the American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA) I am writing to thank you for your efforts on the Medicare End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) program. ANNA believes reforming this program is necessary, including extending the Medicare Secondary Payer (MSP) program.
ANNA is a professional nursing organization of more than 12,000 registered nurses practicing in nephrology. ANNA members are intimately involved in the supervision and delivery of care to adults and children with kidney disease. Our members work in a variety of settings including dialysis facilities, transplant centers, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) clinics, acute care, ambulatory clinics, and long term care. ANNAs purpose is to advance nephrology nursing practice and positively influence outcomes for patients with kidney disease through advocacy, scholarship, and excellence.
As you know, the House of Representatives addressed ESRD issues in the Childrens Health and Medicare Protection (CHAMP) Act of 2007. One provision in the CHAMP Act would extend MSP in the ESRD by 12 months for large group health plans with more than 100 enrollees. The extension of MSP to 42 months is a central component of the Kidney Care Quality and Education Act of 2007.
An extension of MSP raises necessary revenue for critical reforms within the ESRD program. ANNA feels that it is important to extend MSP by 12 months. If you have any questions, or if we can be of assistance to you or your staff on kidney disease, nursing, or related matters, please do not hesitate to contact me, or our Washington representative, Jim Twaddell at (202) 230-5130 or james.twaddell@dbr.com.
Sincerely,
Sandy Bodin, MA, RN, CNN
President
American Nephrology Nurses Association
cc: Senator John D. Rockefeller, IV
Senator Kent Conrad
Senator Jeff Bingaman
Senator John F. Kerry
Senator Blanche L. Lincoln
Senator Ron Wyden
Senator Charles E. Schumer
Senator Debbie Stabenow
Senator Maria Cantwell
Senator Ken Salazar
Senator Orrin G. Hatch
Senator Trent Lott
Senator Olympia J. Snowe
Senator Jon Kyl
Senator Gordon Smith
Senator Jim Bunning
Senator Mike Crapo
Senator Pat Roberts
Senator John Ensign