From the DPC (Dialysis Patient Citizens) Newsletter for August, here’s a very important and practical activity you can do that will have a huge impact and benefit all your fellow dialysis patients. Write a Letter to your local newspaper. Your Representatives, Senators, and their staff members read your local papers. Make your voice heard and make a difference!
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR: As you surely know, The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently proposed a devastating 9.4 percent cut in reimbursement for dialysis. At the urging of DPC, our members are stepping up and writing powerful Letters to the Editor at their local papers voicing their outrage at this potential reduction.
At last count, there were 25 Letters to the Editor brought to our attention that were published. Newspapers ranged from The New York Times (thank you Eric Edwards, our Board President), to Baltimore Sun (written by Board Member Myron Zayon) , to Brooklyn Daily Eagle (written by Board Member, Christina Esposito . Every letter emphasized the devastating impact that the proposed cuts would have for dialysis patients and dialysis clinics across the nation.
Thanks to all who took the initiative to write a Letter to the Editor. Want to participate but don’t know how or what to do? Email DPC at dpc@dialysispatients.org and we’ll give you step-by-step details. It’s not too late! Join your colleagues and let voters in your area know how these cuts would impact your life.
Links:
Eric Edwards’ letter in the New York Times Myron Zayon’s letter in the Baltimore Sun Christina Esposito’s letter in the Brooklyn Eagle —————————————————————————————- As you read these letters, you can see that it doesn’t take much more than a simple statement of the facts and your opinion of the proposed CMS cuts. Your letter could make the difference in a member of Congress deciding to support us dialysis patients and send a statement to CMS/Medicare opposing these cuts. If you didn’t see all my other posts about these cuts, you may have missed the link to the DPC Action Page on their website. To access the page where where you can quickly and easily send a letter to your Congress members, CLICK HERE. All you have to do is neter your zip code and it will walk you through the process. If your zip code covers more than one Congressional District, you’ll have to enter your address to narrow down exactly who your Representative is. Also, here’s another idea. Let’s let the President know about our opposition to the CMS cuts. There’s a petition at WhiteHouse.gov that you can sign. CLICK HERE to access that petition on the President’s Web site. This is important because the CMS is a part of the Executive Branch and the President’s Secretary of Health and Human Services is over CMS/Medicare Here’s another petition that’s gotten over 57,000 signatures! Add yours! CLICK HERE And a really BIG THANK YOU to everyone that has taken action on this matter. It’s important to every one of us and especially the most vulnerable dialysis patients who might suffer because of these cuts. If you want to know more about these cuts and issues of importance to dialysis patients, contact DPC directly: Dialysis Patients Citizens122 C Street N.W., Suite 510
Washington, DC 20001
Toll free: 1-866-877-4242
Fax: 202-789-6935
Email: dpc@dialysispatients.org
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