Health Check: Costly Kidney Drugs

They are essential and expensive.

“$10,000 to $15,000 dollars a year for the medications and those medicines has to be taken every day permanently,“ said Dr. David Roth, a kidney specialist.

Since 1973, Medicare has fully covered the cost of kidney transplant surgeries, regardless of age. But the rules are different when it comes to paying for the medications to keep the new kidneys from failing.

“If you are over age 65 and Medicare eligible, and you get a transplant, they’ll keep the meds going. But if you’re 30 years old and on these medications, after 36 months they drop,“ Roth said.

It’s a big concern for the parents of 3-year-old Justin Miranda, who got a transplant last year. He takes nine different meds everyday.

“He is one of four children. Nonetheless that we have an economic crisis right now, I imagine three years from today, two years from today cause he’s been on medication already a year. It definitely would be a problem,“ said Justin’s father, Jaime Miranda.

Kidney specialist Roth calls this healthcare policy penny wise and pound-foolish.

“Lose a kidney, which is a scarce resource and we have so many people waiting for kidneys. To lose a kidney because of that is even more upsetting,“ Roth said.