In 2016, Medicare costs for all people with all stages of CKD were $114 billion. Medicare spent $35 billion in 2016 to care for people with ESKD, and $79 billion for people with CKD without kidney failure. The same year, Medicare spent an estimated $23,558 per-person to care for someone with non-ESKD CKD, nearly double the spending on the average Medicare beneficiary. In 2016, Medicare spent over $89,000 per dialysis patient and almost $35,000 per transplant patient. Early detection of CKD could save a substantial percentage of these costs.

 

663,205 (1%) of Medicare beneficiaries have kidney failure, yet account for 7.2% of total Medicare spending. Almost 76% of new ESKD patients apply for Medicare. For kidney transplant recipients, Medicare Part B spends $2,303 on immunosuppressive drugs, per year, per patient. And for ESKD patients, Medicare Part D prescription spending is 4.1 times greater than non-ESKD patients.