Sponsors (4)
The bill broadens donor reimbursement access and improves transparency and administrative clarity, but does so at the cost of increased fiscal exposure, reduced ability to target scarce funds to the poorest patients, and potential loss of existing legal protections or transitional confusion.
Donors of organ-related expenses (including for chronic-condition patients) become eligible for reimbursement regardless of the recipient's income, expanding who can receive compensation.
Standardizing and simplifying statutory eligibility criteria reduces administrative burden and compliance uncertainty for HHS and grant recipients, making grant administration easier for hospitals and federal staff.
An annual HHS report will provide policymakers with quantified estimates of unreimbursed donor expenses and the funding needed to fully reimburse donors, supporting targeted appropriations and program adjustments.
Taxpayers face increased fiscal exposure because income-neutral eligibility can raise program costs and public reports of large unpaid reimbursement gaps may create pressure for additional appropriations.
Low-income patients and hospitals may lose a tool to concentrate limited assistance on the poorest recipients, diluting targeted aid.
Removing an existing statutory paragraph risks reducing protections or remedies for transplant recipients and may cause transitional confusion or litigation about coverage.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Bars HHS grant recipients from considering organ recipients' income when reimbursing living donors, removes one statutory paragraph, and requires annual HHS reports on reimbursement shortfalls.
Introduced March 11, 2025 by Ben Ray Luján · Last progress March 11, 2025
Prohibits entities that receive HHS grants under 42 U.S.C. 274f from considering the organ recipient's income when deciding reimbursement to a living donor, removes one existing paragraph in the statute's eligibility/definition language, and requires HHS to publish an annual report on whether grant funding was sufficient to fully reimburse donors in the prior fiscal year, including counts of donors not fully reimbursed and the total additional funding needed. The amendment to the statute takes effect upon enactment.