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DENVER, CO – The House today passed legislation on a preliminary vote to expand preventive health care coverage to combat chronic kidney disease (CKD).
“Early detection of kidney disease can save lives and prevent the need for costly dialysis or transplants,” said Rep. Sheila Lieder, D-Littleton. “Millions of patients across the United States have no idea they have chronic kidney disease until the disease advances to the late stages, causing further complications and massive expense to patients. This bill expands preventive health care to save lives and money.”
“Preventive care saves lives and helps drive down the cost of health care,” said Assistant Majority Leader Jennifer Bacon, D-Denver. “Chronic kidney disease disproportionately affects communities of color, and early detection can help Coloradans avoid dialysis or a kidney transplant. Simple, effective kidney screening tests can catch disease early, which saves everyone money and drastically improves health outcomes for everyone.”
HB26-1019 would save patients money on health care. This bill would ensure early-stage kidney function screening services, including urine or blood tests, are considered preventive health care by insurance carriers. HB26-1019 would remove out-of-pocket financial barriers for patients and encourage early detection of CKD, especially for high-risk patients with hypertension or diabetes. This bill requires private health insurance companies, including large, small and individual employers, to cover early-stage kidney function screening services without cost-sharing with patients.
CDK affects more than 1 in 7 adults, equating to an estimated 35.5 million Americans. Diabetes, high blood pressure and a family history of kidney disease can increase risk factors. Despite the prevalence of kidney disease, early-stage kidney disease often has little to no symptoms. 9 in 10 adults do not know they have CKD until the disease advances into the late stages. The cost of treatment in the late stages of CDK is significantly more expensive than if treated early on, often surprising patients with massive medical costs just as they begin to grapple with symptoms of the disease. In 2024, more than 8,700 Colorado residents were living with kidney failure, according to the American Kidney Fund.
Representative Lieder has sponsored other laws to safeguard health care access in Colorado, including SB26-196, which proactively protected insurance coverage for preventive health care should the existing federal protections be repealed or eliminated.