Reject AB 290 (Wood): Bill Eliminates Financial Assistance for more than 3,700 Low-Income California Dialysis Patients

Bill increases insurance company profits while harming dialysis patients and jeopardizing access to care.

AB 290 attacks vulnerable, low-income dialysis patients by eliminating charitable premium assistance (CPA) in California.

• In 2018, more than 3,700 Californians on dialysis (about 5% of all dialysis patients) received medical financial assistance from the American Kidney Fund (AKF), an independent, nonprofit charitable organization.
• Charitable financial assistance helps these low-income patients pay for insurance, copays and medical expenses associated with the life-saving dialysis treatments.
• Dialysis is not optional. Patients with kidney failure need dialysis three times a week, three to four hours at a time. Without it, they will die.
• Patients helped by AKF are largely minority (68% Latino, African-American and Asian) and low-income (average income less than $30,000/yr).
• Provisions in AB 290 conflict with the federal regulations guiding AKF’s nonprofit charity status nationwide.
• Rather than risk its charitable programs in other states, AKF warns: “If AB 290 is passed, it will quickly force AKF to stop helping low-income Californians living with kidney failure.”
• If this happens, all 3,700 patients will lose their medical financial assistance – which could mean they lose their insurance or cannot afford medical bills and copays for their dialysis and other medical expenses.
• AB 290 forces patients to choose between life-saving medical care, or rent, food and other necessary expenses.

AB 290 is sponsored by insurance companies so they can increase their profits.

• AB 290 is sponsored by big insurance companies who want to stop having to cover dialysis patients and want to cut what they pay to treat these patients.
• If AB 290 passes, dialysis patients, who have paid their insurance premiums for years will be pushed off their plans, right at the time they become sick. These patients will end up on taxpayer-funded programs that may not provide the best coverage for the patient or their family.
• AB 290 increases insurance company profits at the expense of 3,700 California dialysis patients who will be financially ruined.
• AB 290 does not contain any language requiring insurers to pass any savings on to consumers.

AB 290 is opposed by doctors, caregivers, patients, veterans and business and taxpayer groups and dialysis providers. This dangerous bill will jeopardize patient access to life-saving dialysis care.

Reject insurance company profiteering.
Protect patient access to life-saving dialysis care.
No on AB 290 (Wood)