SC dialysis patients need congressional support

When it comes to people going through kidney failure, South Carolina is full of stories of people stepping up for their neighbors and loved ones.
Earlier this year, the law enforcement community and other organizations around North Charleston rallied together to support a police officer battling kidney disease. More recently, nonprofits and organ donors gathered in Clemson for a triathlon to raise funds and register new donors. Here in South Carolina, we look out for each other. But people with kidney failure need more help from Congress.
Today, thousands of South Carolinians living with end-stage renal disease are counting on U.S. Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., to champion legislation that could mean the difference between financial stability and medical bankruptcy.
End-stage renal disease, commonly known as kidney failure, represents a growing health crisis in South Carolina. Unlike many chronic conditions, there is no cure — only management through dialysis or kidney transplant. Unfortunately, transplants are rare, leaving the vast majority of patients dependent on dialysis treatments three to four times per week for the rest of their lives.
Historically, newly diagnosed patients could maintain their employer-provided insurance as primary coverage for the first 30 months, providing continuity of care and financial relief during the most vulnerable period of their treatment. This grace period allowed patients to maintain access to their established physicians, preferred medications and comprehensive care networks while they planned for the inevitable transition to Medicare.
However, a U.S. Supreme Court ruling enabled private insurance plans to discriminate against dialysis patients by cutting coverage and reducing reimbursement rates for life-sustaining treatments. This forces vulnerable patients off their private insurance plans and into Medicare far earlier than intended, creating both medical and financial hardships at the worst possible time — when they’re already struggling to adapt to a life dependent on dialysis.
This creates significant problems. While Medicare covers 80% of dialysis costs, patients must find ways to cover the remaining 20% — a burden that can amount to thousands of dollars monthly. Many patients are forced to spend down their life savings to qualify for Medicaid, a process that devastates families financially while shifting costs to taxpayers, which is hardly a conservative outcome.
The medical consequences are equally severe. Private insurance typically provides better access to physicians, medications and treatments compared to Medicare. Most critically, private insurance gives dialysis patients a significantly better chance at receiving a life-saving kidney transplant.
The solution is straightforward: Sen. Scott should cosponsor the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act (S.1173), bipartisan legislation that would protect access to private insurance for people with kidney failure. Sen. Scott’s influence on the Senate Finance Committee, which is considering the bill, could be the difference that gets this vital legislation to President Donald Trump’s desk.
This legislation already enjoys bipartisan support from senators across the political spectrum, from Republican Bill Cassidy of Louisiana to Democrat Martin Heinrich of New Mexico. The bill doesn’t create new government programs or expand federal spending: It simply restores a protection that existed for decades until the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling created uncertainty.
For South Carolina’s dialysis patients, this isn’t about politics — it’s about survival with dignity. These are working South Carolinians who paid into insurance plans with the reasonable expectation that their coverage would be there when they needed it most. They’re asking not for handouts, but for the protection they were promised.
Sen. Scott has built his reputation on standing up for S.C. families and defending access to high-quality health care. Supporting the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act offers him a clear opportunity to demonstrate these values while helping thousands of vulnerable constituents navigate one of the most challenging health crises imaginable.