Medicaid cuts are quietly fueling the diabetic kidney failure crisis

Medicare spends a staggering $50 billion annually on dialysis and transplantation through the Medicare End Stage Renal Disease Program (1972), which extends Medicare coverage for anyone with kidney failure, regardless of age. Although only 1 percent of Medicare patients have kidney failure, their care accounts for 7 percent of the Medicare budget.

Diabetes prevalence is surging. Today, 34 million adults in the U.S. are diabetic, a number projected to surge to nearly 55 million by 2030. Over a third will develop diabetic kidney disease, fueling new kidney failure cases and Medicare spending for dialysis and transplantation.

The 2030 projected annual cost of care related to diabetes and comorbidities? An unsustainable $622 billion, up 53 percent since 2015. This isn’t a future crisis. It’s happening now.
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