High Court Rules for Hospital Health Plan in Kidney Care Fight (1)

The Supreme Court Tuesday sided with an Ohio hospital’s employee health plan in a dispute over how much it pays for kidney dialysis.

In a 7-2 decision, the justices said Marietta Memorial Hospital and its employee health plan aren’t discriminating against patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) by paying less for dialysis than other treatments because they’re providing the same coverage for all kidney-care patients.

In delivering the opinion of the court, Justice Brett Kavanaugh said the Marietta Plan provides the same benefits, including the same outpatient dialysis benefits, to individuals with and without end-stage renal disease.

“Indeed, DaVita does ...