{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://miller.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-miller-colleagues-introduce-kidney-patient-act", "Rep. Miller,\u00a0Colleagues Introduce the Kidney PATIENT Act", "2023-08-02", "2023", "2023-08", "Republican", "House", "WV", "Carol D. Miller", "M001205", "miller.house.gov", "miller", "https://miller.house.gov/media/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 Congresswoman Carol Miller (R-WV) joined Representatives Earl L. (Buddy) Carter (R-GA), Ann McLane Kuster (D-NH), and Terri Sewell (D-AL) in introducing the bipartisan Kidney Patient Access to Technologically Innovative and Essential Nephrological Treatments (PATIENT) Act. The Kidney PATIENT Act will provide access to critical care and affordable oral medicines for chronic kidney disease patients.\n\n\u201cKidney patients should be able to access as many therapies as possible, as cost-effectively as possible,\u201d said Congresswoman Miller. \u201cAccess to oral-only drugs is critical to many patients. The Kidney PATIENT Act will not only save taxpayers money but provide affordable treatment for kidney patients across the country.\u201d\n\n\u201cWe cannot let bureaucracy get in the way of patients\u2019 health and well-being,\u201d said Congressman Carter. \u201cAs a pharmacist, I know just how important it is for patients, especially those with kidney disease, to be able to access and afford the medicine prescribed by their doctor. This is bipartisan, it\u2019s been done before, and it will save taxpayer dollars. Let\u2019s pass this bill and stop CMS from gambling with patients\u2019 lives.\u201d\n\n\u201cPatients with complex medical conditions like End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) must have access to the medications that they need,\u201d said Congresswoman Kuster. \u201cChanges in Medicare\u2019s ESRD Prospective Payment System could create barriers to essential medications and should be delayed until it's clear that patients\u2019 access will not be impacted.\"\n\n\u201cThe Kidney PATIENT Act is key to maintaining access to oral only medications that have been proven to increase the quality of life for millions of Americans experiencing kidney disease,\" said Congresswoman Sewell. \"I am proud to be leading this bipartisan, common sense legislation and urge my colleagues to give it their full support!\u201d\n\nClick here for bill text.\n\nBackground:\n\nUnless Congressional action is taken, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will move oral-only drugs into the Medicare Part B End-Stage Renal Disease (ERSD) prospective payment system in 2025, which will restrict access to medications and increase dialysis treatment costs for kidney disease patients. The Kidney PATIENT Act will delay this move until 2033 or until new therapies come to the market to ensure patients are able to access affordable medications for their health.", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-08T00:30:18Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://miller.house.gov/media/press-releases/rep-miller-colleagues-introduce-kidney-patient-act"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.2938608415424824, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}