Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act

This bill amends the Medicare Secondary Payer Act to clarify and preserve protections for dialysis patients. It prohibits health insurance plans from shifting primary responsibility for covering health care services for patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD) to Medicare. It also clarifies that singling out dialysis services for coverage limitations compared to other health services is an inappropriate differentiation, but does not affect a plan's ability to choose which renal dialysis providers are in its network.

Sec. 2, Purposes: The bill aims to clarify and preserve the breadth of protections under the Medicare Secondary Payer Act, prohibit health insurance plans from shifting primary responsibility for covering ESRD patients' health care costs to Medicare, and affirm Congress' intent that singling out dialysis services for disfavored treatment through coverage limitations constitutes inappropriate differentiation, while preserving a plan's ability to limit which renal dialysis providers are in its network.

Sec. 3, Clarification and preservation of prohibition under the Medicare program: This section amends the Social Security Act to specify that a group health plan may not differentiate in benefits between individuals with ESRD or needing renal dialysis and other individuals based on the diagnosis of ESRD, the need for renal dialysis, or in any other manner. It also clarifies that nothing in this subsection requires a group health plan to include a particular renal dialysis provider in its network, and that the Secretary shall enforce this subparagraph consistent with existing nonconformance determination requirements.