Working with Kidney Care Advocate Alonzo Mourning, Kidney Community Successfully Advocates for Expanded Medigap Access in Florida

Due to a gap in Medigap coverage for Florida’s ESRD patients under age 65, thousands of patients in the state who were lacking secondary insurance to assist with their medical co-pays and deductibles were struggling financially with accessing needed health care services.

In order raise awareness of the need for expanded Medigap access for patients, a coalition of kidney community advocates - including the National Kidney Foundation of Florida, the Florida Renal Coalition and Dialysis Patient Citizens – embarked on a campaign to educate the state legislature, area media and the public about the need for legislation to improve patients’ access to care through the option to purchase Medigap insurance.

Throughout the spring and summer, kidney community representatives and kidney care advocate Alonzo Mourning met with key lawmakers, held press events and blanketed the state with positive media clips explaining that Medigap legislation would provide enhanced access to care for patients and would relieve the state’s overburdened Medicaid program – thereby acting as a “win-win” for Florida’s patients and taxpayers. Thanks to Alonzo’s passionate support for the bill, the Florida legislature voted to rename it the “Alonzo Mourning Access to Care Act.”

On June 10, Governor Charlie Crist signed the Alonzo Mourning Access to Care Act into law, and it then went into effect on October 1. As reported by the Associated Press, the legislation is expected to make 11,050 ESRD patients and 200,000 patients with other disabilities in the state eligible for Medigap. With this development, Florida joins the 24 other states offering Medigap policies for people under age 65 who enter Medicare due to disability or ESRD.

Following this positive momentum, campaigns advocating for similar legislation are now being planned in Georgia, South Carolina and Arizona.

 Click here to view event photos.