Miller's Improving Home Dialysis Act Passes Ways and Means Committee
May 26, 2026
Washington, D.C. – Last week, Congresswoman Carol Miller's (R-WV) legislation, the Improving Home Dialysis Act, passed the Ways and Means Committee mark-up by 28-13, earning bipartisan support. H.R. 8875, the Improving Home Dialysis Act, facilitates patient access to home dialysis by allowing Medicare to reimburse for additional home dialysis support services, including:
- Staff-assisted home dialysis services to assist with home dialysis education and instances of physical limitations.
- Renal mental health support services to better support the transition to home dialysis and promote kidney transplantation.
“If you are a home dialysis patient, you should have the same access to quality support services as someone receiving dialysis in-center. Patients should not be penalized for choosing a modality that often provides greater flexibility, independence, and quality of life. This is especially true for my rural patients at home in West Virginia. This bill is an important step toward improving patient-centered kidney care, supporting caregivers, and helping more Americans successfully transition to and remain on home dialysis. I am happy to see my bill passed out of committee and is now one step closer to full floor consideration by the House of Representatives,” said Congresswoman Carol Miller.
“I want to thank Congresswoman Miller for her strong, steady advocacy for dialysis patients and finding new ways to make treatment less burdensome for America’s 500,000 End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) patients. The Ways and Means Committee heard testimony from Americans who spoke to the benefits and flexibility that changed their lives after switching to home dialysis, but many Americans suffering from ESRD are still forced to travel multiple times per week to a dialysis center. This bill ensures that more ESRD patients have the freedom and to receive safe treatment with the help of a trusted professional in the comfort of their own home,” said Ways and Means Committee Chairman Jason Smith (MO-08).
This legislation is supported by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) and the American Society of Nephrology.
"We thank Rep. Miller and the Ways and Means Committee for their leadership in advancing policies that expand patient choice and modernize kidney care. We look forward to continued bipartisan discussions to further strengthen and advance solutions that make home dialysis more accessible, sustainable, and patient-centered for people living with kidney failure," said Dr. Jesse Roach, National Kidney Foundation.
“I applaud Representative Miller’s introduction of the Improving Home Dialysis Act of 2026, patient-centered kidney care legislation that expands options for the nearly 500,000 Americans living with kidney failure. Representative Miller’s steadfast commitment to helping people living with kidney diseases, including those with kidney failure, access better, more innovative therapies is exemplified in her introduction of this legislation,” said ASN President Samir M. Parikh, MD, FASN.
Background:
- More than 500,000 patients nationwide live with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and receive dialysis, which can have a devastating impact on their health and lifestyle.
- Only 15% of ESRD patients use home dialysis, though it has significant health benefits.
- Home dialysis results in faster recovery after treatment with fewer side effects, improved cardiac status, and increased life expectancy.
- ESRD patients may be prevented from self-dialyzing at home due to lack of experience or sustaining physical injuries that inhibit home dialysis.
- Staff-assisted home dialysis offers education and assistance services from trained professionals to help ESRD patients engage in home dialysis.
- One staff-assisted home dialysis program helped 93% of senior participants over the age of 70 to dialyze safely and independently at home.
- Renal mental health professionals help ESRD patients navigate the logistical complexities and emotional toll of dialysis and promote kidney transplantation referrals.
- Patients diagnosed with ESRD are three times more likely to experience serious psychological distress and twice as likely to have anxiety and depression compared to the general population.
- Dialysis facilities employ qualified renal mental health professionals, but this care is not consistently available to home dialysis patients.
While Medicare covers some support services to facilitate home dialysis care, Medicare does not reimburse for staff-assisted home dialysis or renal mental health support services for home dialysis patients.
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Issues:Health