Kidney disease is one of the most prevalent and underdiagnosed chronic conditions in Illinois. An estimated 1.48 million adults in the state are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), yet roughly 1.3 million of them have no idea. Without diagnosis, there is no treatment, and without treatment, CKD progresses silently toward kidney failure, a life-threatening condition that requires dialysis or a transplant to survive.
The scale of kidney failure in Illinois is substantial and growing. More than 35,000 Illinoisans are currently living with kidney failure, a number that has increased by 20% since 2012. Over 22,000 depend on dialysis — a treatment that is physically demanding, time-consuming, and financially devastating — while only about 12,000 have received a kidney transplant, the most effective and cost-efficient form of care. The gap between those who need a transplant and those who can access one remains one of the defining challenges in Illinois kidney care.
This article compiles data from multiple sources to present a comprehensive statistical portrait of kidney disease in Illinois. It covers prevalence, kidney failure rates, racial and ethnic disparities, dialysis infrastructure, transplant access and outcomes, financial burden, mortality, and kidney cancer.
Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in Illinois
Prevalence and Awareness
In Illinois, CKD affects a large and largely undiagnosed portion of the adult population. The majority of people at risk for CKD do not receive the recommended testing, and significant disparities in care exist across racial and ethnic communities.
- Adults in Illinois living with CKD (estimated): ~1,480,660
- Adults unaware they have CKD (estimated): ~1,300,000 (approx. 88%)
- Illinois adults who reported ever being told by a health professional they had kidney disease: 4.3%
- Illinois rank nationally for this indicator: 33rd
- Illinois adults with 3 or more chronic conditions (including CKD): 10.8%
- Illinois rank for multiple chronic conditions nationally: 20th
- Illinois Medicare patients with CKD diagnosed (2023): 12.60%
- U.S. adults estimated to have CKD (national): ~37 million (15%)
- U.S. adults with CKD who are unaware of it (national): up to 9 in 10
The gap between actual CKD prevalence and diagnosed cases is stark — an estimated 1.3 million of Illinois’s roughly 1.48 million adults with CKD remain undiagnosed. This mirrors the national pattern where up to 9 in 10 adults with CKD are unaware of their condition, pointing to a critical need for expanded screening, particularly among high-risk populations.
Population at Risk
Several chronic conditions significantly elevate a person’s risk for developing CKD and kidney failure. Illinois’s rates of these conditions place a substantial portion of the state’s population in a high-risk category. Additional risk factors include heart disease and a family history of kidney failure.
| Risk Factor | Illinois Prevalence |
| High blood pressure | 32.2% of adults |
| Self-report overweight/obese | 31.6% of adults |
| Diagnosed with diabetes | 11.3%–13% of adults |
Nearly one in three Illinois adults has high blood pressure, and roughly one in eight has diabetes — the two leading causes of kidney failure. These figures suggest that a large proportion of the state’s population faces elevated kidney disease risk, reinforcing the need for routine CKD screening as part of diabetes and hypertension management.
Kidney Failure in Illinois
Kidney failure (end-stage renal disease, or ESRD) is fatal without treatment — either dialysis or a kidney transplant. The burden of kidney failure in Illinois has grown substantially over the past decade and affects tens of thousands of residents.
Current Scale
| Indicator | Value |
| Illinoisans living with kidney failure (2025) | 35,099 |
| Illinoisans on dialysis (2025) | 22,686 |
| Illinoisans living with a kidney transplant (2025) | 12,413 |
| Increase in kidney failure cases since 2012 | 20% |
| New cases of kidney failure diagnosed in Illinois (2022) | 5,288 |
| — Of new 2022 cases: began dialysis | 5,131 |
| — Of new 2022 cases: received a kidney transplant | 157 |
| Illinois residents on dialysis (in-center, 2024 state data) | ~14,106–14,172 (beginning/ending of year) |
| Total unduplicated dialysis patients (2024 calendar year) | 32,135 |
The 20% increase in kidney failure cases since 2012 signals a worsening trajectory. Of the 5,288 new cases diagnosed in 2022, only 157 (about 3%) received a transplant — the most effective and cost-efficient treatment — while the remaining 97% began dialysis. This imbalance highlights the severe shortage of donor kidneys and barriers to transplant access.
Leading Causes
Diabetes and high blood pressure are the dominant drivers of both chronic kidney disease and kidney failure in Illinois, together accounting for nearly three-quarters of all kidney failure cases.
- Diabetes: 43% of kidney failure cases
- High blood pressure: 30% of kidney failure cases
- Other causes: 27% of kidney failure cases
Diabetes and hypertension — both largely preventable and manageable conditions — account for nearly three-quarters of all kidney failure in Illinois. Effective management of these conditions at the population level would have a profound impact on reducing new kidney failure diagnoses.
Patient Demographics
Illinois kidney failure patients are predominantly older adults and male. The data below reflects both the general kidney failure patient population and detailed dialysis-specific state reporting.
Gender and Broad Age Distribution
- Male patients: 58%
- Female patients: 42%
- Ages 40 to 59: 34% of patients
- Ages 60 to 79: 46% of patients
Detailed Age and Sex Breakdown — Dialysis Patients (2024 State Data)
Illinois dialysis patients skew heavily older. More than 88% of patients are aged 45 or above.
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total | % of Total |
| Under 14 | 6 | 9 | 15 | 0.1% |
| 15 to 44 | 1,515 | 1,023 | 2,538 | 11.4% |
| 45 to 64 | 4,928 | 2,921 | 7,849 | 35.2% |
| 65 to 74 | 3,371 | 2,623 | 5,994 | 26.9% |
| 75 and over | 3,193 | 2,690 | 5,883 | 26.4% |
| Total | 13,013 | 9,266 | 22,279 | 100% |
The strong skew toward patients aged 45 and older reflects the cumulative nature of conditions like diabetes and hypertension that drive kidney failure. The higher proportion of male patients mirrors national trends. The small but notable share of patients under 44 (11.4%) underscores that kidney failure is not exclusively a disease of old age.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities
Kidney failure disproportionately affects communities of color in Illinois. African Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans, and other communities of color face significantly higher rates of kidney failure compared to White Americans, and also encounter greater barriers to accessing transplants.
Kidney Failure Risk Relative to White Americans
- Black Americans: 4.3× greater risk
- American Indians: 2.3× greater risk
- People of Hispanic/Latino ethnicity: 2.3× greater risk
- Asian Americans: 1.6× greater risk
Racial and Ethnic Composition of Illinois Dialysis Patients (2022 State Data)
The racial and ethnic makeup of dialysis patients in Illinois reflects the disproportionate burden on communities of color. Black/African American patients represent 39% of all dialysis patients despite being a smaller share of the state’s general population.
| Race | Patients | % of Total |
| White | 13,743 | ~53% |
| Black / African American | 10,120 | ~39% |
| Asian | 1,202 | ~5% |
| Hawaiian / Pacific Islander | 60 | ~0.2% |
| Native American / Indian | 56 | ~0.2% |
| Unknown | 824 | ~3% |
| Ethnicity | Patients |
| Hispanic / Latino | 4,908 |
| Non-Hispanic / Latino | 20,462 |
| Unknown | 438 |
Transplant Disparities
Racial disparities extend beyond disease rates into access to treatment. Minority patients are overrepresented in the kidney failure population but underrepresented among transplant recipients.
- Almost half of the people waiting for a kidney in Illinois identify as African American, yet in 2017, fewer than 10% of them received a kidney.
- 59% of kidney failure patients in Illinois are minorities.
- Among patients assisted by the American Kidney Fund (AKF): 34.7% are African American, 20.9% are Hispanic/Latino, and 5.2% are Asian/Native American/Pacific Islander.
The racial disparities in kidney failure are among the most severe of any chronic disease in Illinois. Black Americans are more than four times as likely to experience kidney failure as White Americans, yet are significantly underrepresented among transplant recipients relative to their share of the waiting list. This gap points to systemic inequities in care access, referral patterns, and organ allocation that demand targeted policy interventions.
Kidney Cancer in Illinois
Kidney and renal pelvic cancers represent a distinct but related component of the state’s kidney disease burden, with several thousand new diagnoses annually. Illinois’s incidence rate slightly exceeds the national average, and late-stage diagnosis is particularly common in rural counties.
Statewide Summary
- New kidney/renal pelvic cancer cases projected (2021): 2,786 (in men: 1,758; in women: 1,028)
- Deaths from kidney/renal pelvic cancer (2021): 528
- Most common age range for renal cell carcinoma: 50 to 70 years
- Illinois age-adjusted incidence rate (2018–2022): 5.4 per 100,000
- U.S. age-adjusted incidence rate (SEER+NPCR): 5.0 per 100,000
- Illinois percentage of cases diagnosed at late stage: 30.3%
- U.S. percentage of cases diagnosed at late stage: 29.1%
Incidence by County — Highest Case Volume (2018–2022)
Counties listed by average annual case count (highest to lowest).
| County | Urban/Rural | Age-Adjusted Rate (per 100,000) | Avg. Annual Cases | % Late Stage |
| Cook County | Urban | 4.9 | 294 | 31.4% |
| DuPage County | Urban | 5.6 | 63 | 35.2% |
| Lake County | Urban | 5.7 | 48 | 35.7% |
| Will County | Urban | 4.8 | 38 | 28.4% |
| Kane County | Urban | 4.9 | 29 | 29.6% |
| Winnebago County | Urban | 7.2 | 26 | 33.3% |
| McHenry County | Urban | 6.1 | 24 | 33.2% |
| Madison County | Urban | 6.1 | 21 | 24.3% |
| Sangamon County | Urban | 7.0 | 19 | 27.6% |
| St. Clair County | Urban | 5.5 | 18 | 23.6% |
| Peoria County | Urban | 5.5 | 13 | 22.2% |
| Rock Island County | Urban | 5.2 | 11 | 32.0% |
| Tazewell County | Urban | 6.0 | 11 | 24.2% |
| La Salle County | Rural | 6.1 | 10 | 29.4% |
| McLean County | Urban | 5.4 | 10 | 33.8% |
| Macon County | Urban | 5.7 | 9 | 21.9% |
| Kankakee County | Urban | 6.1 | 8 | 27.5% |
| Champaign County | Urban | 3.3 | 7 | 20.9% |
Counties with Highest Age-Adjusted Incidence Rates
Rural counties dominate the list of highest per-capita kidney cancer rates, and also show elevated rates of late-stage diagnosis — likely a consequence of limited access to early screening and specialty care.
| County | Urban/Rural | Rate (per 100,000) | % Late Stage |
| Lee County | Rural | 10.4 | 44.6% |
| Christian County | Rural | 9.7 | 34.8% |
| Bureau County | Rural | 8.9 | 42.6% |
| Iroquois County | Rural | 8.0 | 35.6% |
| Fulton County | Rural | 7.7 | 32.7% |
| Franklin County | Rural | 7.6 | 30.6% |
| Marion County | Rural | 7.4 | 32.8% |
| Morgan County | Rural | 7.3 | 27.3% |
| Monroe County | Urban | 7.2 | 31.5% |
| Livingston County | Rural | 7.0 | 31.5% |
| Sangamon County | Urban | 7.0 | 27.6% |
Illinois’s kidney cancer incidence rate (5.4 per 100,000) slightly exceeds the national average (5.0 per 100,000), and the proportion of cases diagnosed at a late stage (30.3%) is also above the national figure (29.1%). Notably, many of the counties with the highest age-adjusted incidence rates are rural — including Lee, Christian, and Bureau counties — where access to early screening and specialty care may be more limited. This pattern likely contributes to the higher late-stage diagnosis rates seen in several rural counties. Cook County, while having lower per-capita rates, accounts for the largest raw number of cases (294 annually) given its population size.
Dialysis in Illinois
Dialysis is the primary treatment for the vast majority of Illinois kidney failure patients. The data below covers the full scope of in-center dialysis services across the state — infrastructure, capacity, patient flow, staffing, and payor mix.
Infrastructure and Key Metrics (2024)
| Metric | Value |
| Total reporting facilities | 270 |
| In-center treatments (calendar year 2024) | 1,239,007 |
| Beginning patients (1/1/2024) | 14,106 |
| Ending patients (12/31/2024) | 14,172 |
| Total unduplicated patients (calendar year) | 32,135 |
| Number of missed treatments | 5,872 |
| Average treatment time (minutes) | 373.3 |
| Authorized stations (as of 12/31/2024) | 4,650 |
| Certified stations (as of 12/31/2024) | 4,660 |
| Peak stations operated | 4,596 |
| Isolation stations set up (Oct 1–7) | 280 |
Treatment Capacity and Use Rates (2024)
Treatment capacity / year (stations × 313 days × 3 shifts): 4,347,570
- Use rate (treatments / capacity): 28%
- Use rate (including missed treatments): 29%
- Use rate (beginning patients / stations × 6): 51%
- Use rate (ending patients / stations × 6): 51%
Weekly Operations — Week of October 1–7, 2024
The weekly schedule reflects the standard three-day treatment cycle followed by most dialysis patients.
| Day | Date | Hours Operated | Patients Treated |
| Tuesday | Oct 1 | 2,764.75 | 5,156 |
| Wednesday | Oct 2 | 3,796.00 | 8,156 |
| Thursday | Oct 3 | 2,761.00 | 5,174 |
| Friday | Oct 4 | 3,791.50 | 8,360 |
| Saturday | Oct 5 | 2,833.98 | 5,215 |
| Sunday | Oct 6 | 118.00 | 55 |
| Monday | Oct 7 | 3,724.25 | 8,441 |
Patient Flow (2024)
Patient Additions
- New patients: 6,415
- Transient patients: 2,430
- Recovered patients: 494
- Post-transplant patients: 201
- Patients re-started: 169
- Total additions: 9,709
Patient Losses
- Patients transferred out: 4,462
- Patients deceased: 1,934
- Voluntarily discontinued: 447
- Transplant recipients: 825
- Lost to follow-up: 51
- Total losses: 7,719
Patients by Payor Source (2024)
- Medicaid: 6,254,507 patients (51.0%)
- Other Public: 2,761,114 patients (22.5%)
- Medicare: 1,794,967 patients (14.6%)
- Private Insurance: 1,437,167 patients (11.7%)
- Charity: 11,331 patients (0.1%)
- Private Pay: 241 patients (0.0%)
Illinois dialysis infrastructure is extensive, with 270 facilities and over 4,600 authorized treatment stations. The system delivered more than 1.2 million in-center treatments in 2024. The very low Sunday volume (55 patients vs. ~8,000 on peak days) reflects the standard three-day-per-week dialysis schedule most patients follow. The death of 1,934 patients in 2024 among those who exited the system underscores the life-or-death stakes of dialysis care continuity.
Kidney Transplants in Illinois
Kidney transplantation is the most effective and cost-efficient treatment for kidney failure, yet demand far exceeds supply. This section covers transplant volumes, trends, cost comparisons, and a full breakdown of the state’s 10 transplant centers — including wait times, outcomes, and program participation.
Current Scale and Trends
- Illinoisans on kidney transplant waiting list: 3,609
- Transplants performed in Illinois in 2024: 1,531 (living donor transplants: 299; deceased donor transplants: 1,232)
- Illinoisans on waiting list who received a transplant in 2024: ~1 in 2
- Increase in transplants since 2014: 136%
- Change in living donor transplants since 2014: +23%
Historical Trend: Transplant Access
Access to transplants has improved significantly over the past four years, though substantial unmet need remains.
| Year | Transplants Performed | Waiting List | % on Waiting List Who Received Transplant |
| 2020 | 886 | 3,414 | ~1 in 4 (25%) |
| 2023 | 1,508 | 3,508 | ~1 in 2 |
| 2024 | 1,531 | 3,609 | ~1 in 2 |
Cost of Treatment: Medicare Comparison (2016–2019 Average)
Transplantation is dramatically more cost-effective than dialysis. A kidney transplant patient in their first year after surgery costs Medicare less than a third of what dialysis costs annually.
- Pre-kidney failure: $25,920 per patient per year
- Dialysis patient: $79,439 per patient per year
- First year after transplant: $23,308 per patient per year (of which $6,947 was for immunosuppressants)
The 136% increase in transplants since 2014 is a remarkable achievement, and the improvement in transplant access from 1 in 4 recipients in 2020 to 1 in 2 in 2024 represents substantial progress. However, with 3,609 people still on the waiting list and only about half receiving a kidney each year, thousands remain on dialysis — a treatment that costs Medicare more than three times as much per patient annually as post-transplant care. Expanding the living donor pool and increasing deceased donor utilization remain critical priorities.
Transplant Centers
Illinois has 10 kidney transplant centers, ranging in activity from highly active academic medical centers to centers that performed no NKR transplants in the past 12 months.
Wait Times and Volume (2025)
| # | Transplant Center | Wait Time Forecast (months) | Patients on Waiting List | 2025 Deceased-Donor Transplants |
| 1 | Loyola University Medical Center | 26 | 468 | 159 |
| 2 | University of Illinois Medical Center | 32 | 547 | 177 |
| 3 | Rush University Medical Center | 39 | 422 | 99 |
| 4 | Northwestern Memorial Hospital | 40 | 952 | 257 |
| 5 | University of Chicago Medical Center | 40 | 649 | 165 |
| 6 | Memorial Medical Center | 49 | 117 | 19 |
| 7 | OSF St. Francis Medical Center | 68 | 263 | 37 |
| 8 | Advocate Christ Medical Center | 74 | 227 | 32 |
Adult Outcomes: Graft and Patient Survival Rates
Note: Higher transplant volume is associated with lower likelihood of achieving 100% survival rates. Centers that take on more complex cases are also likely to have lower survival rates.
| Center | Living Donor — 1 Yr Graft | Living Donor — 3 Yr Graft | Living Donor — 1 Yr Patient | Living Donor — 3 Yr Patient | Deceased Donor — 1 Yr Graft | Deceased Donor — 3 Yr Graft | Deceased Donor — 1 Yr Patient | Deceased Donor — 3 Yr Patient |
| Loyola University Medical Center | 98% | 94% | 99% | 97% | 96% | 91% | 97% | 95% |
| Northwestern Memorial Hospital | 98% | 91% | 99% | 94% | 96% | 89% | 98% | 95% |
| Rush University Medical Center | 98% | 98% | 98% | 98% | 96% | 90% | 98% | 94% |
| OSF Saint Francis Medical Center | 100% | 94% | 100% | 97% | 95% | 85% | 97% | 89% |
| UChicago Medicine | 97% | 95% | 97% | 94% | 95% | 81% | 98% | 87% |
| Advocate Christ Medical Center | 100% | 96% | 100% | 100% | 95% | 81% | 97% | 93% |
| Memorial Medical Center | 100% | 91% | 100% | 89% | 96% | 86% | 100% | 89% |
| University of Illinois MC | 97% | 90% | 98% | 93% | 95% | 77% | 96% | 83% |
Pediatric Outcomes: Graft and Patient Survival
| Center | Living Donor — 1 Yr Graft | Living Donor — 3 Yr Graft | Living Donor — 1 Yr Patient | Living Donor — 3 Yr Patient | Deceased Donor — 1 Yr Graft | Deceased Donor — 3 Yr Graft | Deceased Donor — 1 Yr Patient | Deceased Donor — 3 Yr Patient |
| Children’s Memorial Hospital of Chicago | 100% | 94% | 100% | 100% | 98% | 94% | 100% | 100% |
There is significant variation across Illinois transplant centers in both access and outcomes. Loyola University Medical Center leads in NKR activity and program participation. Northwestern Memorial handles the largest patient waiting list (952) and performed the most deceased-donor transplants. Wait times range widely — from 26 months at Loyola to 74 months at Advocate Christ — meaning a patient’s choice of center, or geographic access to a higher-volume center, may dramatically affect their timeline to receiving a transplant. One-year survival rates are consistently strong across centers (95%–100%), though three-year outcomes show more variation.
Mortality
Kidney disease is a significant cause of death in Illinois, ranking 9th overall among all causes. Deaths are heavily concentrated in older age groups and in more populous counties.
Statewide Summary (2022)
- Total kidney disease deaths in Illinois: 2,912
- Death rate (per 100,000): 17.3
- Rank among causes of death, all ages: 9th
- Rank among causes of death, ages 65–84: 8th
- Rank among causes of death, ages 85 and over: 7th
Deaths by County (2022)
More than half of Illinois residents living with kidney failure live in Cook County, which also accounts for 37% of all kidney disease deaths statewide.
| County | Kidney Disease Deaths |
| Cook County (Total) | 1,082 |
| — Chicago | 497 |
| — Suburban Cook | 585 |
| DuPage County | 170 |
| Lake County | 146 |
| Will County | 144 |
| Kane County | 121 |
| Winnebago County | 86 |
| Madison County | 82 |
| McHenry County | 57 |
| Sangamon County | 49 |
| Macon County | 36 |
| Rock Island County | 35 |
| Tazewell County | 31 |
| Williamson County | 30 |
| McLean County | 29 |
| Kankakee County | 29 |
| Peoria County | 28 |
| Champaign County | 28 |
| Knox County | 23 |
| DeKalb County | 22 |
| Vermilion County | 22 |
| LaSalle County | 21 |
| Adams County | 20 |
| Macoupin County | 19 |
| Whiteside County | 18 |
Deaths by Age Group (2022)
Kidney disease becomes an increasingly prominent cause of death with advancing age, rising to the 7th-leading cause among those 85 and older.
| Age Group | Rank Among Causes | Kidney Disease Deaths |
| All Ages | 9th | 2,912 |
| Ages 25–44 | 10th | 60 |
| Ages 45–64 | 10th | 401 |
| Ages 65–84 | 8th | 1,504 |
| Ages 85 and over | 7th | 941 |
Kidney disease mortality in Illinois rises sharply with age, becoming the 7th-leading cause of death among those 85 and older. Cook County accounts for 37% of all kidney disease deaths statewide, which reflects both its population size and its concentration of high-risk patients. The rising rank of kidney disease as a cause of death in older age groups reinforces the importance of early detection and disease management to slow progression before it becomes fatal.
Financial Burden and Insurance
Kidney failure imposes a heavy financial burden on patients, who are disproportionately low-income, and on the broader healthcare system. The American Kidney Fund (AKF) provides charitable assistance to thousands of Illinois patients who cannot afford the costs of treatment.
Patient Financial Hardship
The economics of kidney failure are severe. Most patients cannot work, yet face substantial annual out-of-pocket costs on very limited incomes.
- Average annual income of patients receiving AKF assistance: under $25,000
- Average annual out-of-pocket costs for dialysis patients: ~$7,000–$10,000+
- Share of patient income going toward treatment (estimated): 28%
- Patients on dialysis who cannot work: over 80%
- Illinois kidney failure patients relying on Medicare or Medicaid as primary insurance: 85%
AKF Charitable Assistance in Illinois
The American Kidney Fund provides grants to low-income Illinois dialysis and transplant patients to cover insurance premiums and other health care costs not covered by insurance.
| Year | Illinois Patients Assisted | Total Charitable Assistance |
| 2020 | 6,005 | $23,500,000 |
| 2023 | 3,794 | $17,939,934 |
| 2024 | 3,460 | $16,900,879 |
Insurance Coverage
AKF Premium Assistance Recipients — Insurance Breakdown (2024)
- Medigap: 27.3%
- Medicare Part B: 25.0%
- Commercial Employer Group Plans (incl. COBRA): 20.1%
- Medicare Advantage: 0.6%
AKF Premium Assistance Recipients — Insurance Breakdown (2023)
| Insurance Type | Share |
| Medicare Part B | 44.6% |
| Medigap | 23.4% |
| Employer Group Health Plans (incl. COBRA) | 17.2% |
| Medicare Advantage | 1.4% |
The financial picture for Illinois dialysis patients is stark: earning on average under $25,000 per year, yet facing $7,000–$10,000+ annually in out-of-pocket costs, many patients spend more than a quarter of their income on treatment — while more than 80% are too ill to work. The heavy reliance on Medicare and Medicaid (85% of patients) and the need for AKF assistance for thousands of low-income Illinoisans underscore the extent to which kidney failure is not only a health crisis but an economic one.
Conclusion
The data presented in this article paints a clear and urgent picture: kidney disease in Illinois is a growing public health crisis that touches hundreds of thousands of residents across every corner of the state. With an estimated 1.48 million adults living with CKD — the vast majority undiagnosed — and more than 35,000 people already in kidney failure, the human toll is immense. The 20% rise in kidney failure cases since 2012, combined with over 2,900 deaths annually from kidney disease, points to a trajectory that demands stronger prevention, earlier detection, and more equitable access to care.
Racial and ethnic disparities run throughout every layer of this data. Black Americans face kidney failure at more than four times the rate of White Americans, yet remain dramatically underrepresented among transplant recipients. Minority communities account for 59% of kidney failure patients and the majority of those served by charitable financial assistance programs — a reflection of both the health and economic vulnerabilities that compound in these populations. Addressing these disparities requires not only clinical intervention but targeted policy action around screening access, transplant equity, and community-level chronic disease management.
The financial dimension of kidney failure is equally staggering. Dialysis costs Medicare nearly $80,000 per patient per year — more than three times the cost of post-transplant care — yet only about half of those on Illinois’s transplant waiting list receive a kidney in any given year. Over 80% of dialysis patients cannot work, and many spend more than a quarter of their limited income on out-of-pocket treatment costs. Expanding transplant access, increasing living and deceased donor rates, and closing the diagnostic gap in CKD are not only medical imperatives — they are economic ones.
Sources:
- Explore Chronic Kidney Disease in Illinois | AHR
- Ending Disparities in Kidney Disease in Illinois- A Leadership Summit hosted by NKF
- Kidney failure
- Kidney Disease Mortality | Stats of the States | CDC
- 2021-IKCA-Kidney-Failure-Factsheet-1
- Illinois General Assembly
- in Illinois
- Filtering the Facts of Kidney Health
- IKCA_OverviewOnesheet2021_03
- Illinois_2023
- Kidney failure in Illinois: 2024
- Explore Multiple Chronic Conditions in Illinois | AHR
- END STAGE RENAL DIALYSIS – 2024 SUMMARY DATA FOR STATE
- END STAGE RENAL DIALYSIS – 2022 SUMMARY DATA FOR STATE
- Kidney Cancer
- Incidence Rate Report for Illinois by County
- Facts about KIDNEY CANCER
- Kidney Transplant Centers in Illinois
- Kidney Transplant Centers in Illinois: Wait Times by Center
- Statewide Leading Causes of Death by Resident County, Illinois Residents, 2022
- Leading Causes of Death by Age Group, Illinois Residents, 2022