President Donald Trump signed an executive order Wednesday morning that he called “groundbreaking action” on treating kidney disease, including through organ transplants.
“Many, many people are dying while they wait,” Trump said. “We’ll do everything we can to increase the supply, and we’ll be able to do that very substantially … getting Americans off these wait lists.”
Chronic kidney disease affects an estimated 37 million U.S. adults. The Trump administration’s plan emphasizes transplants over dialysis as a more cost-effective solution for patients. Trump said the initiative includes “very substantially incentivizing” organ donation to offset costs to donors like child care and lost wages, as well as revising rules governing organ procurement organizations to “ensure available kidneys reach waiting patients as quickly as possible.” (RELATED: Federal Judge Puts Last-Minute Block On Trump’s Rule Forcing Drug Companies To Include Prices In TV Ads)
The federal government expends more than $100 billion a year on kidney transplants and treatment, reported Politico.
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks before signing an executive order on “advancing kidney health” in Washington, U.S., July 10, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
The plan includes treating patients at home in an attempt to cut costs and trying to catch kidney disease earlier with better screening. Roughly 12 percent of people begin dialysis treatment at home, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
On the prevention front, nine out of 10 adults with chronic kidney disease do not know they have it, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Dialysis centers are a big business in the U.S., reported revenue of roughly $24 billion in 2018 according to Politico. DaVita and Fresenius are two of the power players in that arena.
The focus on preventing and treating kidney disease comes after several people with close ties to the administration have suffered from kidney-related conditions. First lady Melania Trump underwent surgery for a “benign kidney condition” in May 2018. In addition, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar’s father underwent a kidney transplant, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services innovation chief Adam Boehler’s aunt died from kidney disease, reported Politico.
The outdoor sign seen at the DaVita Dialysis clinic in Denver February 16, 2017. REUTERS/Rick Wilking
The Headquarters of Fresenius is pictured in Bad Homburg near Frankfurt February 24, 2010. Fresenius is a global health care company with products and services for dialysis, hospitals and medical care of patients at home. REUTERS/Johannes Eisele (GERMANY – Tags: BUSINESS HEALTH)
“I saw how burdensome kidney disease can be and how important it is to give patients more options,” Azar said Wednesday ahead of the signing.
Fresenius, which calls itself the largest renal disease service provider in the world, reacted positively to Trump’s announcement Wednesday afternoon.
“We congratulate the Administration on today’s announcement and celebrate the proposed initiatives as a win for our patients and for the 30 million Americans living with kidney disease,” Fresenius CEO Rice Powell said in a statement. “We are committed to continuously improving the quality of life of patients affected by kidney disease and have already established initiatives to improve prevention, offer more flexible treatment options, introduce value-based care models and promote organ donation – in the United States and abroad.”
DaVita did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s requests for comment at the time of publication.
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