DATE: December 11, 2024

Washington, D.C. – December 11, 2024 — The Kidney Transplant Collaborative (KTC) applauds Representatives Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Larry Bucshon, MD (R-IN), Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA), and Carol Miller (R-WV) for their bipartisan leadership in introducing the Expanding Support for Living Donors Act. This critical legislation aims to increase support for living organ donors by addressing living donor donation costs and eliminating key financial barriers that prevent many people from becoming donors.

With more than 100,000 Americans currently waiting for a transplant, this bill offers a timely and essential response to a growing public health crisis in which 17 people die each day waiting for a transplant. The legislation addresses key obstacles that discourage living organ donation — including financial burdens, logistical challenges, and inadequate donor protections — to ensure more patients receive the life-saving transplants they desperately need.

One of the primary reasons for the stagnation of the rate of living organ donations is the high out-of-pocket costs of donation, which can exceed $10,000 per donor. These costs often include travel expenses, childcare, and lost wages from time away from work. While a federal donor reimbursement program exists, it is means tested and only covers up to $6,000 for donation-related expenses and imposes income restrictions, which disqualify many donors from accessing the support they need.

“Living kidney donors make an extraordinary gift, but too often, they face unnecessary financial and logistical hurdles,” said Andy Howard, MD, FACP, Vice Chairman of the Kidney Transplant Collaborative. “Representatives DelBene, Bucshon, Schrier, and Miller’s bipartisan leadership tackles these barriers head-on, making it easier for donors to give and for patients to live. This is exactly the kind of bold action we’ve been calling for and we applaud their commitment to this life-saving cause.”

The Kidney Transplant Collaborative is proud to stand with this growing bipartisan coalition of lawmakers working to improve access to transplants and better support living organ donors. KTC remains committed to advocating for the passage of this legislation and urges Congress to act swiftly to get it across the finish line.

For more information on the Kidney Transplant Collaborative’s advocacy and to learn how you can support this effort, please visit www.kidneytransplantcollaborative.com.

About the Kidney Transplant Collaborative The Kidney Transplant Collaborative (KTC) is a 501(c)(4) nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing kidney transplants and removing financial and logistical barriers for kidney patients, donors, and their families. Unlike other initiatives, KTC is specifically focused on increasing the number of living donor transplants in the United States through policy advocacy, education, and community organizing. For more details, visit www.kidneytransplantcollaborative.com.