American Kidney Fund Urges Passage of Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2024

ROCKVILLE, Md. (July 25, 2024)  — The American Kidney Fund (AKF) applauds the introduction of the Health Equity and Accountability Act (HEAA). This critical and extensive legislative package aims to eliminate racial and ethnic health inequities and address kidney disease research, surveillance, prevention and treatment. LaVarne A. Burton, AKF President and CEO, issued this statement today: 

"AKF is proud to support the Health Equity and Accountability Act, and we thank Sen. Mazie Hirono, Rep. Barbara Lee, and Rep. Judy Chu, along with the entire Congressional Tri-Caucus, for reintroducing this important legislation, which would make a number of crucial investments in the kidney health of Americans and improve kidney health equity, a cornerstone of AKF's mission.

"Kidney disease is the fastest growing non-contagious disease in the United States, affecting 1 in 7 American adults. There are over 808,000 Americans currently living with kidney failure, which requires either a transplant or dialysis to survive. Over 91,000 Americans, or approximately 88% of the people on the national transplant waiting list, are waiting for a kidney.

"Kidney disease affects people of all genders, races, ethnicities and backgrounds; however, Black Americans, Hispanic Americans, Native Americans and Asian Americans are at a higher risk of developing kidney disease than white Americans are. 

• Black Americans are 4 times more likely
• Hispanic/Latinos and Native Americans are about twice more likely
• Asian Americans are 1.6 times more likely

"In fact, about 30% of people living with kidney failure in the United States are African American, despite being only 13% of the U.S. population. 

"Even though Black Americans make up a larger portion of Americans living with kidney failure, they have historically been less likely than white patients to be placed on the transplant waiting list. 

"HEAA will help address these issues by increasing payment for staff-assisted home dialysis and investing in patient education, as well as expanding ongoing research into kidney transplants in minority populations. The bill also calls for a report that would examine racial disparities in the use of home dialysis and examines coverage for, and use of, home dialysis in rural communities. The legislation will expand the Medicare Annual Wellness Benefit to include kidney disease screening, which is crucial for early detection and prevention of late-stage kidney disease, and support research into the environmental and occupational causes and biological mechanisms that contribute to kidney disease.

"This legislation has a significant number of policies specific to kidney care that will help save lives and have an enormously positive impact on millions of Americans. We urge Congress to pass HEAA, and we look forward to working with Sen. Hirono, Rep. Lee and Rep. Chu to help do just that. In the meantime, the American Kidney Fund will continue its work toward achieving kidney health equity, through our Kidney Health for All™ initiative, our Know Your Kidneys program and through advocacy activities including the launch of the Rare Kidney Disease Action Network."