Trump Administration’s National Kidney Care Plan

The Trump administration has introduced the Kidney Care National Plan. This plan addresses deficiencies in kidney care that the Health and Human Services (HHS) Department links to elevated costs and diminished quality.

The strategy aims to encourage more competition in treatment markets. Currently, companies DaVita Inc. and Fresenius Medical Care control about 74% of this market. Part of the plan also involves a transformation of the transplant system.

Around 90,000 patients are on the kidney transplant list. These individuals often wait three to five years to find a match. HHS intends to promote a National Transplant Expansion Strategy, building on a 2019 executive order. This strategy will facilitate living donations, providing more patients with needed transplants.

The plan also targets preventive care. The focus is on early detection of kidney disease, timely intervention, and advancing treatments to slow or halt disease progression. Kidney disease is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in the U.S., affecting 37 million adults, most of whom are unaware of their condition, resulting in delayed treatment after considerable damage has occurred.

According to HHS, various systemic failures are partly due to government intervention. A major obstacle to better prevention is the government’s involvement in funding care for end-stage renal disease. The plan suggests reducing federal intervention except in specific cases where market failures impede private sector solutions.

In many cases, government should do less, focusing its efforts on promoting accountability, competition, and innovation. An affirmative federal role is warranted in the narrow circumstances where a specific, identifiable market failure prevents private actors from serving the public interest.