Why It Matters

Kidney Care Partners lobbied in the third quarter of 2026 on Medicare's payment system for end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and on Medicare coverage and reimbursement related to dialysis. The filing names three bills: the Kidney Care Access Protection Act of 2025, the Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act, and the Improving Home Dialysis Act of 2026. The central question across all three is whether Medicare's dialysis payment structure adequately covers new treatments and preserves patients' access to private insurance. ​

By the Numbers

Kidney Care Partners' total lobbying spend across all registrants fell to $110,000 in the third quarter of 2026, down $215,000 from the $325,000 recorded in the third quarter of 2025, the lowest quarterly total in the seven quarters on record. The overall client total fell quarter over quarter as Federal Health Policy Strategies LLC filed no third-quarter report after billing $80,000 in the second quarter, and BGR Government Affairs LLC, Lester Health Law PLLC, and Avenue Solutions had all terminated earlier in 2026.

The seven lobbyists on the filing are:

  • Mat Lapinski, chief executive officer
  • Jason Van Pelt, executive vice president; former legislative director for Rep. Ed Whitfield (R-KY-1)
  • Brittany Hernandez, principal; nine years of House staff experience
  • Cheryl Jaeger, principal; nearly 15 years of House staff experience, including the House Energy and Commerce Committee
  • Stephen Voljavec, senior vice president
  • Reggie McCrimmon, former shared staff across 13 Democratic personal offices
  • Ivelisse Porroa-García, former shared staff for Rep. Raul Ruiz (D-CA-25)

Broader Context

Kidney Care Access Protection Act

Rep. Carol Miller (R-WV-1) introduced H.R.6214 on Nov. 20, 2025; Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) introduced the Senate companion, S.2730, on Sept. 8, 2025. Both remain at the introduced stage. The bills would extend transitional payment support for new dialysis drugs and devices to at least three years, set permanent add-on payments at 65 percent of cost starting Jan. 1, 2026, and require Medicare Advantage plans to pay dialysis providers directly at traditional Medicare rates. Sens. Blackburn and Booker cited more than 35 million Americans living with kidney disease and argued rural dialysis providers face financial strain as reimbursement has not kept pace with inflation.

Restore Protections for Dialysis Patients Act

A Sept. 11, 2024, Senate press release from Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), joined by Sens. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM), announced a Senate version of the bill in response to the Supreme Court's 2022 ruling in Marietta Memorial Hospital Employee Health Benefit Plan v. DaVita, which allowed private health plans to carve out kidney care services and push ESRD patients onto Medicare earlier.

Improving Home Dialysis Act of 2026

Rep. Miller introduced H.R.8875 on May 19, 2026; it is referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill would cover staff-assisted home dialysis respite care and renal mental health services at a beneficiary's home. A May 26, 2026, press release from Rep. Miller's office stated the bill passed the Ways and Means Committee.

Competitive Landscape

H.R.6214 and S.2730 both list Kidney Care Council, Kidney Care Partners, U.S. Renal Care Inc., and CorMedix Inc. among their organizations, with Ardelyx Inc. listed on H.R.6214 and Fresenius Medical Care Holdings Inc., Akebia Therapeutics Inc., DaVita Inc., and Dialysis Patient Citizens listed on S.2730. National Kidney Foundation Inc. and Nonprofit Kidney Care Alliance are listed as organizations associated with H.R.8875.

The Bottom Line

Kidney Care Partners' outside lobbying footprint has contracted sharply over the past year, falling from four active firms in the third quarter of 2025 to one this quarter.

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