{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=c417be13-0071-4cea-871a-9909213470cf", "COCHRAN:  PROPOSED NEW REGS COULD JEOPARDIZE DIALYSIS TREATMENTS", "2013-11-13", "2013", "2013-11", "Republican", "House", "MS", "Thad Cochran", "C000567", "www.cochran.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2013 U.S. Senator Thad Cochran (R-Miss.) is warning that proposed changes to Medicare reimbursement rates for end-stage renal disease care could jeopardize dialysis treatments for Mississippians, particularly in rural areas where access to care can be limited.\r\nCochran has asked Marilyn Tavenner, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), to consider revising a proposed rule that would effectively undercut reimbursements to dialysis treatment centers throughout the country.\u00a0 CMS could soon finalize a proposed rule to update and revise the End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) prospective payment system for 2014.\u00a0 The rule could result in a 9.4 percent reduction in payments to ESRD facilities, including the more than 70 certified ESRD facilities in Mississippi.\r\n\u201cI\u2019ve heard from dialysis patients in Mississippi who are worried the proposed reductions will affect their treatment, particularly their access to quality care,\u201d said Cochran, a member of the Senate Diabetes Caucus.\r\n\u201cDialysis treatments are vital for many people with diabetes and kidney-related illnesses.\u00a0 I hope the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid will agree to a more reasonable rule that is fiscally responsible but also fair to dialysis providers,\u201d he said.\r\n\u00a0The proposed ESRD payment reductions would result in CMS reimbursing most dialysis providers less than the cost of the services they provide.\u00a0 The average Medicare margin for a dialysis facility is currently about 4 percent, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission, which also recommended that reimbursement rates be held constant.\r\n\u201cI request that you consider revising the proposed rule to ensure that funding levels are sufficient to cover the cost of providing life-sustaining treatment to Medicare beneficiaries and to maintain access to quality dialysis care in communities across the country,\u201d Cochran wrote Travenner.\r\nBecause the Medicare ESRD program currently provides coverage to more than 80 percent of Americans living with ESRD who require dialysis services, Cochran warned that if the proposed rule is finalized \u201cproviders will be forced to take steps to reduce costs, which could reduce faculty staffing and limit patients\u2019 flexibility to receive their dialysis treatments.\u201d\r\n\u201cIn some cases, facility closures could occur, which would significantly reduce patient access to care, particularly in rural communities where access is already a concern.\u00a0 These cuts would likely have a detrimental impact on dialysis clinics throughout Mississippi and affect many patients receiving dialysis treatment in my state,\u201d Cochran wrote.\r\nCochran, who is the lead Republican cosponsor of the Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2013 (S.323), is among 76 Senators who recently wrote in support of continued investment in the Special Diabetes Program, an initiative focused on improving diabetes treatment, prevention and research.\r\nLINKS:  \u2022\u00a0CMS ESRD Website: http://go.cms.gov/HPOqCP  \u2022\u00a0Mississippi ESRD Facilities: http://1.usa.gov/17TFuIT  \u2022\u00a0Mississippi State Department of Health Directory of Health Facilities: http://1.usa.gov/1cUQWFR\r\n###", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "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://www.cochran.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/news-releases?ContentRecord_id=c417be13-0071-4cea-871a-9909213470cf"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.1058598067611456, "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"}