VICA opposes Prop 8, a dangerous overreach that sets price controls for dialysis treatments. Prop 8 aims to set a cap on how much treatment providers and clinics can charge dialysis patients for treatment. The initiative caps total revenue for dialysis at 115% of the cost of patient care. There are many costs to operate a clinic, all of which would have to be covered under the 15% allowed for operating costs. Physician medical directors, nurse clinical coordinators, staff who help patients navigate insurance options, community-based kidney disease education, regulatory compliance, facility administrators, facility security, non-clinical information technology, professional services like accounting, human resources, payroll and legal would all have to be covered under new low revenue cap. If clinics are forced to reduce services or close due to their inability to cover operating costs under Prop 8, the results for patients could be catastrophic; missing even one dialysis appointment increases the risk of death for patients by 30%.
Additionally, this measure will increase costs for Medi-Cal and Medicare as more patients would be forced to seek treatments in more expensive hospital settings or suffer complications from missing treatments, ending up in emergency rooms. Price controls introduced by the measure would also set a dangerous precedent for California businesses. If Prop 8 passes, proponents of the measure will likely try to expand price controls to other healthcare providers and businesses.
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