April 06, 2017  Charitable for kidney patients Health insurance companies are increasingly looking for ways to deny coverage to patients with chronic diseases, including by prohibiting kidney patients from turning to charities and nonprofits for help in paying their premiums. Insurers are seeking out higher profits — at the expense of thousands of lower-income dialysis patients — by blocking those who need financial aid from choosing a commercial health plan. Charitable assistance was absolutely vital for my husband to get his dialysis treatment after he was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2015. Also battling against cancer at the time, he was unable to work because of his intensive medical treatments. Medicare only covered 80 percent of the treatment costs, leaving our family to figure out the other 20 percent, as well as the rest of our living expenses. In the midst of figuring out how we would pay for everything, we received help paying premiums from the American Kidney Fund, which enabled us to continue his dialysis treatment. Although my husband is no longer with us, charitable assistance allowed our family to spend precious time with him during his final years. Please protect kidney patients’ rights and keep charitable assistance alive for thousands of individuals and families like ours. MARILYN HAYMON, STONE MOUNTAIN HYPERLINK "http://www.macon.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article142553594.html" http://www.macon.com/opinion/letters-to-the-editor/article142553594.html