Kidney Care Access Protection Act

This bill changes how Medicare pays for kidney dialysis care. It requires Medicare to pay temporary add-on payments for at least 3 years for qualifying new dialysis drugs and devices, and then creates a permanent add-on payment for those drugs set at 65 percent of a calculated cost per treatment. It makes FDA breakthrough devices and certain capital equipment eligible for the temporary device add-on payment. It requires Medicare to make direct payments to dialysis providers for these new products when patients are in Medicare Advantage plans. Starting in 2026, it also adjusts the yearly dialysis payment update to correct for past errors in forecasting price changes.

Full text and official record on Congress.gov

Sponsors

• Marsha Blackburn Republican sponsor
• 2 cosponsors