Commercial Insurance Reimbursements For Dialysis Substantially Higher Than Medicare

From 2012 to 2019, the prices paid by commercial insurers for dialysis were substantially higher than Medicare’s reimbursements. The mean and median prices that commercial insurers paid for a dialysis session in the sample were $1,287 and $1,476, respectively. For context, the highest Medicare base rate during the sample period was $240. The highest possible rate paid by Medicare from 2012 to 2019 after case-mix and geographic adjustments was $1,081.

The prices paid by commercial insurers also varied widely across the states. Among the 44 states (and the District of Columbia) included in the comparison . . .