Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act

This bill, titled the "Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act," seeks to clarify and preserve the breadth of protections under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act, specifically for individuals with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) . Its primary purpose is to prevent private health plans from discriminating against ESRD patients or adversely classifying dialysis services compared to other medical treatments. The legislation amends the Social Security Act to explicitly prohibit private health plans from differentiating in benefits or applying limitations that disparately affect individuals with ESRD, including those related to network composition. This aims to stop health insurance plans from shifting the primary financial responsibility for ESRD care to the Medicare program. However, the bill clarifies that it does not require group health plans to include specific renal dialysis providers or a particular number of providers in their networks.