California Medicaid patients are far less likely to be placed on a waiting list for kidney transplant than Medicare patients or those who qualify for both Medicaid and Medicare, according to Health Research and Educational Trust. However, once placed on the list, they receive kidneys at the same rate as other groups.
Study findings raise concerns about disparities in kidney transplant access due to an individual's insurance coverage.
The study compared 9,102 patients with end-stage renal disease in both the California Medicaid and Medicare programs, as well as patients who qualified for both programs. Only 31.4% of all Medicaid-only dialysis patients were placed on the kidney transplant waiting list compared to 38.8% and 45.5% of the dually eligible and Medicare populations, respectively.
Key factors that affect Medicaid patients' waiting list access include:
- Physicians failing to evaluate them as suitable candidates, often due to other factors like HIV/AIDS, homelessness, history of drug abuse and mental illness;
- Low awareness of kidney transplant options; and
- Cultural considerations like religion and race.
(Association for Health Services Research, 202/223-2477, www.xnet.com)