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Kidney Dialysis Amendment Could Be On Fall Ballot
By: Karen Kasler | Statehouse News Bureau
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A group that wants a constitutional amendment to change the way process for the way Ohio kidney dialysis patients receive treatment submitted signatures to be on the fall ballot Wednesday. But the proposal is already facing opposition.
Activists, including public union members, say the amendment would improve patient care. The measure would require stricter regulation of clinics providing those services and would limit the amount they can charge patients.
But Gene Pierce, spokesman for a group of clinics and medical professionals that will oppose the plan, claims it could hurt dialysis patients.
“This is an out of state, cookie cutter, special interest group that are trying the same thing in California this year,” he said. “They want to put it on the Ohio ballot as well but they really haven’t done their research as to what Ohio needs.”
Activists backing the Kidney Dialysis Patient Protection Amendment started gathering signatures in February and submitted 170,000 more signatures than they would need to get their issue certified for the fall ballot.