Dialysis and Total Health Care Costs in the United States and Worldwide: The Financial Impact of a Single-Payer Dominant System in the US

Abstract

Significance Statement In the United States, dialysis provision is an example of a robust, single-payer dominant system with cost containment. When compared with the cost of dialysis in other countries, Medicare dialysis costs in the United States as a function of overall health care expenditures are approximately $60,000 per patient less than expected, likely due to substantial cost containment imposed by Medicare as the dominant payer.