Budget Cuts In Illinois Could Leave Hundreds Of Thousands Without Kidney Dialysis

If Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s proposal to cut Medicaid dollars comes to fruition, kidney dialysis patients in 40 percent of the state’s treatment centers will no longer receive the proper care they often receive.

Gov. Brauner (R) suggested the $1.5 billion cut to Medicaid earlier this year, arguing that it would bring the state closer to closing its $6 billion deficit. Under the plan, some service providers will have their reimbursement rates slashed by nearly 17 percent. Nursing homes and drug treatment centers face similar cuts, to the chagrin of medical professionals and social workers.

Patients whose kidneys can no longer function undergo dialysis to eliminate the waste and unwanted liquid from their blood stream. Without the procedure, waste levels in the bloodstream could reach levels that cause coma or death. In Illinois, more than 28,000 people use dialysis machines routinely, causing advocates to worry, especially with the possibility of increase in emergency room visits looming.

“What I think it boils down to is these patients suffer enough with their disease, and we need to do everything we can to maintain access to high quality, local convenient care,” Dr. Tim Pflederer, president of Illinois Kidney Disease and Tension Center, told WQAD 8 this week.

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http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/06/05/3666733/medicaid-cuts-will-affect-kidney-dialysis-patients/