Press release

American Kidney Fund's Statement on Dialysis-Related Supreme Court Ruling

A statement from LaVarne A. Burton, President and CEO of the American Kidney Fund (AKF), about the Supreme Court ruling in Marietta Memorial Hospital v. DaVita.

ROCKVILLE, Md. (June 30, 2022) — LaVarne A. Burton, President and CEO of the American Kidney Fund (AKF), issued the following statement about the Supreme Court ruling in Marietta Memorial Hospital v. DaVita:

"The American Kidney Fund is profoundly concerned about the ramifications of the Supreme Court opinion and its potential impact on health care access for patients who live with kidney failure and need dialysis to survive.

"More than 800,000 people in the U.S. live with kidney failure. Between 2009 and 2019, the number of people with end-stage renal disease rose by 41%. If this trend continues, there will be over one million people with kidney failure by 2030. Virtually everyone who develops kidney failure goes on dialysis rather than having a pre-emptive transplant, because there simply are not enough donor organs available.

"With this decision, the stage is set for the crisis in kidney disease to get even worse. Patients may lose vital benefits, and they may not have the ability to select the health plan that they need to survive and that best works for their personal circumstances.

"People who live in underserved communities, including Black and rural Americans, are hit hardest by kidney failure. AKF is concerned that this ruling will exacerbate the disproportionate impact that kidney failure has on these communities and jeopardize access to life-saving care.

"The American Kidney Fund stands committed to fighting on all fronts on behalf of all those affected by kidney disease and will strongly advocate for policy solutions to address the challenges created by this Supreme Court ruling."

About the American Kidney Fund

The American Kidney Fund (AKF) fights kidney disease on all fronts as the nation’s leading kidney nonprofit. AKF works on behalf of the 37 million Americans living with kidney disease, and the millions more at risk, with an unmatched scope of programs that support people wherever they are in their fight against kidney disease—from prevention through transplant. With programs that address early detection, disease management, financial assistance, clinical research, innovation and advocacy, no kidney organization impacts more lives than AKF. One of the nation’s top-rated nonprofits, AKF invests 97 cents of every donated dollar in programs, earning the highest 4-Star rating from Charity Navigator for 20 years in a row as well as the Platinum Seal of Transparency from Candid, formerly GuideStar.

For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.