WASHINGTON, DC (Thursday, October 26) – The American Society of Nephrology, representing 21,000 nephrologists, scientists and other kidney care professionals, today voiced its support for the Honor Our Living Donors (HOLD) Act (H.R. 6020), new legislation introduced by U.S. Representatives Jay Obernolte (R-CA-23) and Suzanne DelBene (D-WA-1) to qualify federal support for living organ donors based on donor income as opposed to current requirements that base support on the organ recipient’s income.
More than 37,000,000 Americans live with kidney diseases, and a kidney transplant is the optimal therapy for most people living with kidney failure. Economic barriers often inhibit living organ donations. Living donation is more common among people with higher median household income, and living donors often incur roughly $5,000 in expenses (or out-of-pocket costs) when donating due to travel, lodging, and other nonmedical expenses.1 -International agreements guiding organ donation state that living donation should be a cost-neutral activity.
“Making living donation easier is a crucial step towards improving access to transplant for the nearly 100,000 people on the kidney transplant waitlist,” said Michelle A. Josephson, MD, FASN, President of ASN. “The Honor Our Living Donors Act (HOLD, H.R. 6020) will facilitate access to financial support for living donors, reducing a large barrier many living donors face and allowing more people to consider donating an organ.”
The HOLD Act changes a current statutory requirement that mandates consideration of the income of the organ recipient to determine whether a living donor should receive financial assistance. The HOLD Act will require the National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC) to only consider the donor’s income to determine eligibility for financial assistance.
“The Honor Our Living Donors Act (HOLD, H.R. 6020) will simplify access to financial support for living donors through the National Living Donor Assistance Center by using donors’ own income to determine their eligibility to receive support for donation-related costs,” said Roslyn B. Mannon, MD, FASN. “This policy change is an important step towards supporting living donors who need financial help as they provide the gift of life.”
The federal government currently provides support for socioeconomically disadvantaged living donors through the Reimbursement of Travel and Subsistence Expenses toward Living Organ Donation Program, managed by the NLDAC. The HOLD act will also require NLDAC to submit an annual report of their funding allocation, statistics of reimbursed donors, the number of donors who applied and did not receive reimbursement, and a projection of the amount of funding that would be needed to support all eligible donors.This information is essential for Congress to make informed decisions about this important program.
1 Przech S, Garg AX, Arnold JB, et al. Financial Costs Incurred by Living Kidney Donors: A Prospective Cohort Study. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2018;29(12):2847-2857. doi:10.1681/ASN.2018040398SN
About ASN
Since 1966, ASN has been leading the fight to prevent, treat, and cure kidney diseases throughout the world by educating health professionals and scientists, advancing research and innovation, communicating new knowledge and advocating for the highest quality care for patients. ASN has nearly 21,000 members representing 140 countries. For more information, visit www.asn- online.org and follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.
# # #
