The U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee (E&C) on June 12 unanimously approved the Honor Our Living Donors (HOLD) Act, a bipartisan bill from U.S. Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) that would provide wage, travel, and caregiver reimbursement to people who donate organs.
Donating an organ requires a large financial obligation and extensive time to recover from the procedure. “Unfortunately, current law disincentivizes individuals who would otherwise be motivated to become a living donor,” Rep. Obernolte said. “With 100,000 Americans on the waiting list for an organ transplant, it’s critical that we make it easier for living donors to give the gift of life.”
Under the HOLD Act, H.R. 6020, which the congressman introduced last year with cosponsor U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA), donor eligibility would no longer be limited based on the income of the recipient.
Income restrictions limit who can be reimbursed for being a living donor through the National Living Donor Assistance Center. The congressman’s office explained that, currently, a donor can only be reimbursed if the income of the recipient and donor combined is less than 350 percent of the HHS poverty level, roughly $53,000 a year for a family of four. As a result, 91 percent of donors finance their own donation.
“Many low-income Americans, especially rural Americans, cannot bear the cost of being a living organ donor due to the travel expenses to the transplant center as well as the lost wages incurred while they recover from the surgery,” according to a statement of support from Waitlist Zero. “Reps. Obernolte and DelBene’s HOLD Act will reduce the kidney and liver donor waitlist by increasing the number of living organ donations, the gold standard for patients with chronic kidney and liver disease.”