Sponsors (2)
The bill expands and standardizes covered kidney disease education and screening—improving early detection, access, and patient support—while increasing public and private costs, creating new administrative burdens, and risking uneven quality or access across providers and regions.
Medicare and other insured patients with or at risk of chronic kidney disease will get covered kidney disease education (including no cost-sharing for covered plan enrollees), improving access to preventive education and lowering out‑of‑pocket costs.
Medicare beneficiaries (starting Jan 1, 2027) will have kidney disease education and screening added to the Initial Preventive Physical Exam and Annual Wellness Visit, increasing early detection and intervention opportunities.
People with kidney disease will receive standardized, evidence‑based education that is measured for effectiveness, likely improving patient comprehension, self‑care, and health outcomes.
Taxpayers and Medicare beneficiaries face higher program costs because expanding covered services and paying up to 100% of charges can increase Medicare spending and upward pressure on premiums or deficits.
Employers, insurers, and private plan enrollees may see higher premiums or shifted benefits because adding a mandated covered education benefit raises plan costs.
Hospitals and providers will face new administrative and reporting burdens and associated costs to collect outcome data and meet assessment requirements.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Requires Medicare and nongrandfathered health plans to cover broader kidney disease screening and education, expands providers and delivery, and directs HHS to develop effectiveness metrics (effective Jan 1, 2027).
Official title: To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act and title XXVII of the Public Health Service Act with respect to the coverage of kidney disease education services under Medicare and private health insurance.
Introduced June 29, 2026 by Suzan K. Delbene · Last progress June 29, 2026
Expands Medicare coverage and private-plan preventive service rules to require and pay for broader kidney disease education and screening. It widens who can provide and receive services, allows group sessions and caregiver participation, removes an arbitrary session cap, clarifies telehealth delivery, and requires Medicare to pay full allowable charges for these services starting January 1, 2027. Directs HHS to convene a multi-stakeholder working group to develop standardized methods and metrics to measure the effectiveness of Medicare-paid kidney education services and to establish a comprehensive assessment framework within two years after the group's report. Also adds kidney disease education services to the list of required preventive services that nongrandfathered health plans must cover beginning with plan years on or after January 1, 2027.