House Energy and Commerce Committee Passes Honor Our Living Donors Act

The US House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously passed the Honor Our Living Donors Act (HR 6020). If enacted, the legislation will ensure that only the income of a living donor can be considered when determining eligibility for federal financial assistance provided to living donors.

The American Society of Nephrology (ASN) praised the advancement of the act and reiterated its support of policies to make living donations financially neutral.

The federal government provides limited financial assistance to living donors, but under current law, the incomes of both the living donor and the transplant recipient are required to determine eligibility, although the assistance is provided only to the donor.

“While a transplant recipient’s insurance covers the cost of donation surgery, donors face thousands of dollars of direct out-of-pocket costs in order to donate an organ, such as dependent care, travel for donor evaluation, and lost wages,” noted Roslyn B. Mannon, MD, FASN, chair of the ASN’s Policy and Advocacy Committee.

The bipartisan legislation now awaits action on the House floor and in the Senate.