The soaring cost of renal dialysis for the nearly 40 million Americans with kidney disease — known as a “silent” epidemic because it’s often not detected until late stages — has become a huge concern. It’s considered one of four conditions that drive a quarter of U.S. healthcare spending.
The impact is being felt by benefit brokers, advisers and boutique providers in tangible ways. Take, for example, Dawn Sheue, president of Summit Insurance Services and one of EBA’s 2017 Most Influential Women in Benefit Advising. She had less than 45 days to find a reasonable and creative solution for a level-funded employer that faced a $500,000-plus hit for a spouse’s kidney transplant and dialysis at renewal.
