Cost of dialysis

[gonzomax]

A friend of mines wife recently passed, She had kidney trouble and they decided she was too old for a transplant. She was on dialysis ,3 times a week for 11 years. She was also hospitalized at least once a year when things went wrong. But that is not part of the equation.
What did this dialysis cost and was it a bad financial decision? She was 67 when they decided she was too old.

[steadierfooting]

$57,973 on average per year per person in 2002.


http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal.../highrisk.html


But I believe all of that is covered by Medicare since end stage renal disease is always covered under medicare, so if the government is paying for it they might not have cared about costs.

[gonzomax]

Originally Posted by steadierfooting

$57,973 on average per year per person in 2002.


http://xnet.kp.org/permanentejournal.../highrisk.html


But I believe all of that is covered by Medicare since end stage renal disease is always covered under medicare, so if the government is paying for it they might not have cared about costs.

I believe they rejected the transplant on money and age grounds. Yet it cost so much more for dialysis.
She had a horrible existence for most of that time.

[Bill Door]

Here's a study that claims that the kidney transplant can be paid for with 2.7 years of dialysis. That was in 1999, so depending on changes in the relative cost of the two, this may have changed since then.

[Broomstick]

Originally Posted by gonzomax

I believe they rejected the transplant on money and age grounds. Yet it cost so much more for dialysis.
She had a horrible existence for most of that time.

The thing is, there is a shortage of organs for transplants, and the younger you are when you get a transplant the better (usually) you recover. So yes, they tend to favor the young for transplants. Remember, post-transplant you still aren't normal - you (hopefully) are better but you'll be immune-suppressed for the rest of your life and the anti-rejection drugs do have side effects. Again, younger people tend to cope with that better than older ones do.

So younger post-transplant patients tend to live longer and healthier lives than older post-transplant patients. Nobody likes it, but until there is no longer an organ shortage there is a certain logic to favoring the young

Also, if you can't afford the required medication the organ will fail and you'll wind up back on dialysis. I don't want to to turn this into a rant about health insurance in the US, but until all transplant patients are guaranteed access to needed medication regardless of ability to pay, ability to pay will continue to be a factor.

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

Kidney transplants are very, very cost-effective compared to dialysis.

It's a pity there aren't enough kidneys available for transplant. A lot of young transplant-qualified folks (20's and 30's) end up going decades on dialysis, or dying, before a match turns up.

I hope everyone participating here has volunteered to donate their organs when they're no longer needed.

[panache45]

Originally Posted by Qadgop the Mercotan

I hope everyone participating here has volunteered to donate their organs when they're no longer needed.

Yes, especially since I have "at-risk" kidneys, and am 63.

[Ring]

Originally Posted by panache45

Yes, especially since I have "at-risk" kidneys, and am 63.

What, may I ask, are "at-risk" kidneys? My brother has a creatinine of 1.9, a urine protein of around 4000 (this is divided by the creatinine level) and he's 42 years old. Would that be at risk or would it be worse?

[Qadgop the Mercotan]

Originally Posted by Ring

What, may I ask, are "at-risk" kidneys? My brother has a creatinine of 1.9, a urine protein of around 4000 (this is divided by the creatinine level) and he's 42 years old. Would that be at risk or would it be worse?

The scenario you describe is beyond "at-risk". Sounds like it's already in the realm of chronic kidney disease

[Ring]

Originally Posted by Qadgop the Mercotan

The scenario you describe is beyond "at-risk". Sounds like it's already in the realm of chronic kidney disease

Well, that sucks, but thanks for the answer.