Pulaski Times

U.S. Senators John Boozman and Ben Ray Luján have introduced the Honor Our Living Donors (HOLD) Act, a bipartisan effort aimed at increasing organ donations by expanding support for living donors. The legislation seeks to make more donors eligible for compensation covering wages, travel, childcare, and caregiver expenses related to donation.

Currently, the Living Organ Donation Reimbursement Program assists low-income donors with expense reimbursements but is limited by income restrictions. This limitation prevents many potential donors from qualifying. With over 92,000 people on the kidney transplant waiting list and only about 6,000 living donations occurring annually, financial burdens are a significant barrier.

The HOLD Act aims to remove these barriers by prohibiting consideration of recipient income when determining eligibility for financial reimbursement. This would support more low- and middle-income donors and potentially save Medicare money by increasing living donations. Additionally, the act requires an annual assessment of the Living Organ Donation Reimbursement Program's effectiveness to be reported to Congress.

"Organ donation saves thousands of lives each year and we can potentially save even more by increasing the pool of donors," stated Boozman. "This legislation would assist in breaking down barriers so financial considerations do not prevent Americans from meeting this urgent need."

Luján emphasized the urgency of addressing financial burdens for potential donors: "Every day, Americans lose their lives waiting for an organ transplant while generous living donors are unable to step forward because of the financial burden it could place on themselves and their families." He added that the bill aims to ensure interested individuals do not have to choose between their livelihood and saving a life.

The full text of the bill is available online.