Bill to Protect Living Organ Donors Introduced in U.S. House

March 04--U.S. Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Camas, has cosponsored a bill with Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., to protect the rights of living organ donors.

The legislation is called the Living Donor Protection Act of 2017 and would ensure that living organ donors are able to take unpaid leave to recover from their donation and still be employed afterward.

According to a 2007 study in the American Journal of Transplantation, as many as 11 percent of living organ donors experience difficulty securing or paying for insurance after their procedures, a press release from Herrera Beutler's office said.

The Living Donor Protection Act would prohibit life, disability and long-term care insurance companies from denying or limiting coverage and from charging higher premiums for living organ donors.

It would also clarify that living organ donors may use family leave time to recover from surgeries. It directs the Department of Health and Human Services to update its materials on live organ donation to reflect the changes.

The bill has support from numerous groups that advocate on behalf of organ transplantation, the release said. These groups include the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, the American Society of Transplantation, the National Kidney Foundation, the American Society of Nephrology and more.

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