title: The public cost of kidney disease.
abstract: As part of the general concern with the cost of medical care, attention is being focused on the End-Stage Renal Disease program. However, much confusion surrounds the issue of the cost of end-stage renal care. This article seeks to clarify some of the points inherent in this issue by addressing the following questions: Who is covered by the program? How expensive is the program? Why have costs increased? Can costs be reduced without sacrificing quality or access? And, how can one object to a program that extends life?
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003363:Cost Control; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006437:Hemodialysis, Home / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000191:economics*; D006278:Medicare / Q000191:economics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D014481:United States