DaVita Says Pleased That Court Took Important Step Of Putting Hold On CMS Rule

(RTTNews) - DaVita Inc. (DVA) said it pleased that the US District Court, Eastern District of Texas took the important step of putting a hold on a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services or CMS rule that would have harmed thousands of the sickest patients in America.

The court not only suspended the rule from going into effect but determined that it is "arbitrary and capricious" and should be vacated. The court also found that it would "leave thousands of Medicare-ineligible [dialysis] patients without health insurance," that the government "has long accepted the practice of charitable premium assistance," and that CMS offered no explanation for the change in policy.

Nevertheless the threat to dialysis patients by health insurance providers still exists. DaVita asks the new administration and CMS to not only eliminate this rule, but to take action to prevent insurance companies from discriminating against a vulnerable group of patients and ensure continued access to charitable premium assistance that has served as an essential patient safety net for the last 20 years.