A picture is worth a 1000 words - here are 2000 words

[cschwab]

I've been looking at the per-patient costs of ESRD:



I'm seeing not only are companies like DaVita and Fresenius not keeping up with other countries - see Italy at top of flyer - but they aren't keeping up with the non-profits here:



So I have to ask where is the money going?  To me, this looks like a job for those Navy Seals of accounting, the Congressional Budget Office.  To trim the fat, would be nice to know who is porking out.

[angieskidney]

I also noticed something else not specific to DaVita but USA healthcare in general for kidney patients. How come if it costs the least to have someone transplanted is medication only covered for 3 years? Has that changed yet? Hemodialysis still costs the most yet it seems that so many companies want people on hemo dialysis to help pad the company's pocket book. Not sure but that is how it seems anyway from someone outside of the country.

[cschwab]

Last I heard Medicare was still only covering transplant meds for 3 years, but with the new health care law everybody is supposedly going to have health insurance.  Believe transplants are the cheapest option since once transplanted it normally takes pills and a few doctor visits to maintain the transplant - not a building and staff like dialysis requires.

Do have to wonder if they are pushing things like home dialysis as hard as they could.