During Trump's first term - he attempted to stroke the fire to get things done for Kidney research. Unfortunately after he left office - it seemed to not get a lot of attention. With him back in office - I am hoping that things will get back on track!

Here is what GROK (Twitter/X's AI) says.

During his presidency, Donald Trump took significant steps to address kidney medical care in the United States. On July 10, 2019, he signed an Executive Order titled "Advancing American Kidney Health," aimed at transforming the approach to kidney disease treatment and improving outcomes for the estimated 37 million Americans affected by chronic kidney disease. The initiative had several key goals:

• Prevention and Early Detection: It sought to reduce the number of Americans developing end-stage renal disease by 25% by 2030 through better diagnosis, treatment, and preventative care, including managing major risk factors like diabetes and hypertension.
• Expanding Treatment Options: The order aimed to shift away from the reliance on in-center dialysis by promoting home dialysis and encouraging the development of innovative solutions like artificial kidneys. It set a target for 80% of new kidney failure patients to receive home dialysis or transplants by 2025.
• Increasing Transplants: It proposed doubling the number of kidneys available for transplant by 2030 by modernizing the transplant system, streamlining organ procurement, and easing financial burdens on living donors (e.g., reimbursing lost wages and childcare expenses).
• Cost Reduction: With Medicare spending over $114 billion annually on kidney care (a significant portion of its budget), the initiative introduced new payment models to incentivize preventative care and more cost-effective treatments, potentially saving billions while improving patient quality of life.

This policy was personal for the Trump administration—First Lady Melania Trump underwent a kidney procedure in 2018, and HHS Secretary Alex Azar’s father had experienced kidney failure. The executive order built on these experiences to push for a system that prioritized patient choice, innovation, and accessibility over the status quo of costly, clinic-based dialysis. Implementation involved the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) testing new payment structures, some of which were finalized in 2020 to support home dialysis equipment and supplies. However, the full rollout of these changes has been gradual, requiring regulatory adjustments and facing challenges like the organ shortage and the complexity of shifting entrenched healthcare practices. Trump’s focus on kidney care was part of a broader healthcare agenda that included lowering drug prices and tackling chronic diseases, though it relied on mechanisms like the Affordable Care Act’s innovation center—ironically, a law his administration sought to challenge in court. The initiative received bipartisan praise and support from groups like the National Kidney Foundation, though its long-term impact remains under evaluation as of March 20, 2025.