H.R. 9509 – Kidney Disease Education Access Expansion Act of 2026
Kidney disease education shouldn’t begin when kidney failure is already approaching.
The bipartisan Kidney Disease Education Access Expansion Act of 2026 (H.R. 9509) would modernize and expand access to kidney disease education and screening so patients can receive critical information earlier in their kidney health journey.
Today, Medicare's Kidney Disease Education benefit largely focuses on people with advanced chronic kidney disease. H.R. 9509 would expand access to people with diabetes, hypertension, CKD at any stage, and others at increased risk of kidney disease progression or kidney failure. It would also strengthen kidney screening through Medicare preventive care, expand who can provide kidney education, support telehealth and group education, involve caregivers, and improve education surrounding treatment and transplantation.
Major kidney organizations, including the National Kidney Foundation, are already strongly supporting this legislation.
EKF is proud to stand with them—and we're bringing the voices of veterans, rare kidney disease patients, caregivers, transplant families, and people navigating complex healthcare systems with us.
H.R. 9509 - Why we need your support
Too many kidney patients hear the same sentence:
“I wish somebody had explained this to me sooner.”
They discover what eGFR means after theirs has already fallen.
They learn why urine protein matters after kidney damage has progressed.
They learn about nephrologists, medications, dialysis, transplantation, living donation and disease-specific treatments while they're already trying to make life-changing decisions.
We can do better.
H.R. 9509 moves kidney education upstream—toward earlier detection, earlier education, earlier intervention and better navigation.
For the FilterLIFE™ community, this is especially important.
Our community includes veterans navigating VA and civilian healthcare, patients living with rare and complex kidney diseases, transplant patients and caregivers, and people whose kidney risk may involve multiple health conditions and environmental or occupational exposures.
Whether you're a patient, caregiver, Veteran, healthcare professional or advocate, supporting H.R. 9509 means supporting a simple idea:
Give people the knowledge to protect their kidneys BEFORE they're facing kidney failure.
It's Not about More Education - It's About EARLIER Education
What it does: H.R. 9509 expands eligibility for Medicare kidney disease education beyond advanced CKD to include people with diabetes, hypertension, CKD at any stage, and others at increased risk for progression or kidney failure.
Why some may hesitate: Some may believe kidney education is primarily necessary once someone develops advanced CKD and needs to begin preparing for dialysis or transplantation.
The truth: By Stage 4, significant kidney function has already been lost.
Patients need to understand their kidney numbers, risk factors, treatment options and disease progression before they're making decisions during a medical crisis.
Education shouldn't simply prepare people for kidney failure.
It should help them prevent or delay it whenever possible.
It's Not Just About CKD — It's About Finding Kidney Disease Earlier
What it does: H.R. 9509 would incorporate kidney screening into Medicare's initial preventive physical examination and annual wellness visits and broaden the focus to include CKD, kidney failure and rare kidney diseases.
Why some may hesitate: Kidney screening may sound unnecessary for people who aren't experiencing symptoms.
The truth: Kidney disease can progress with few obvious warning signs.
That's exactly why screening matters.
People living with high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, family history, and other kidney risk factors may not realize their kidneys are being damaged.
And for veterans, the picture can be even more complicated when occupational and environmental exposures are part of their medical history.
A blood test can tell us about kidney filtration.
A urine test can reveal kidney damage.
You shouldn't have to feel kidney disease before someone starts looking for it.
It's Not One-Size-Fits-All — Rare Kidney Disease Matters Too
What it does: H.R. 9509 specifically recognizes the importance of education and screening related to rare kidney diseases and expands the types of education patients may receive.
Why some may hesitate: Some may think general CKD education is enough for everyone living with kidney disease.
The truth: CKD describes reduced kidney function or kidney damage.
It doesn't always explain WHY it's happening.
Patients living with diseases such as membranous nephropathy, IgA nephropathy, FSGS, C3G and other glomerular or rare kidney diseases may need specialized education about disease mechanisms, biomarkers, treatments, relapse, progression and appropriate specialty care.
Understanding the cause of kidney disease can completely change the conversation.
Kidney education should recognize the disease, not just the stage.
For Veterans, Healthcare Is Already Complicated Enough
What it does: By expanding earlier kidney education and allowing more flexible ways to receive it—including telehealth, group education, caregiver involvement and additional qualified educators—H.R. 9509 could make kidney information more accessible.
Why this matters to EKF: Veterans may be navigating multiple systems simultaneously:
VA Healthcare.
Community Care.
Civilian nephrology.
Specialty care.
Transplant centers.
Benefits.
Medical records.
Toxic-exposure documentation.
Then add high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, occupational exposures or environmental exposures.
That's a lot to navigate while somebody is also trying to understand what's happening to their kidneys.
The truth: Veterans shouldn't need to become healthcare-system experts just to understand their kidney health.
Earlier education gives them something incredibly powerful:
The ability to ask better questions BEFORE they're in crisis.