American Kidney Fund's Statement on Signing of the Inflation Reduction Act

ROCKVILLE, Md. (Aug. 16, 2022) — LaVarne A. Burton, President and CEO of the American Kidney Fund (AKF), the nation's leading nonprofit working on behalf of 37 million Americans with kidney disease, issued the following statement about the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act:

"The Inflation Reduction Act, sweeping legislation that addresses health care as well as climate and taxes, contains important provisions impacting millions of Americans who live with life-threatening chronic diseases.

"Kidney disease currently affects 37 million Americans, including nearly 810,000 who are living with kidney failure, which is most often caused by diabetes and/or high blood pressure.

"AKF strongly supports measures included in the Inflation Reduction Act, such as provisions to update Medicare Part D, the continuation of enhanced tax credits for Affordable Care Act plans, increasing access to recommended vaccines for adults enrolled in Medicare and Medicaid, and provisions to make insulin more affordable for Medicare beneficiaries. We thank President Biden for signing this important bill.

"We also urge Congress to prioritize innovation and drug development on behalf of the 37 million Americans with kidney disease and the millions more at risk."