Thursday
Austin: See the letter I received today from Tonya thanking all of you who responded to my request to write our state senators to support the Medicare Bill that includes provisions from our last attempt to update ESRD education and assistance.
Hi Jack,
Today is a day for celebration! By a vote of 69 to 30 the United States Senate joined the House in passing a Medicare bill (HR 6331) that includes key provisions for patients with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD)—a tremendous victory for the kidney care community.
This is your victory! It is your hard work that helped ensure that key ESRD provisions were included in this bill. You have worked tirelessly to see this happen and I am happy to let you know that your hard work has paid off. Congress has listened and passed legislation that will establish pre-dialysis education and CKD prevention measures, as well as, revise the payment methodology for ESRD treatment, and provide an inflation update. It would be great for you to take a moment and share your appreciation with your Members of Congress (Click here to send your Members of Congress a letter of thanks).
I personally would like to thank you for participating in your monthly assignments and for making extra calls and sending extra emails when we needed them most. I have called upon you numerous times and you have accepted the extra work without hesitation. Your efforts in passing this bill have made and will continue to make a significant difference in the lives of your fellow dialysis patients.
Many, many thanks from the bottom of my heart,
Tonya L. Salstrom
Dialysis Patient Citizens
Deputy Director
So, sometimes contacting your legislators can make a difference! Of course our local congressman, Lloyd Doggett, was on board with the Medicare bill early on. And both Texas' Senators John Cornyn and Kay Bailey Hutchinson ended up voting for the bill in the Senate yesterday! This is a major shift away from their support of the Bush Administration so I applaud them for moving in the direction of a unified congress. Onward thru the fog!
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