On March 1, Representatives Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., and Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., introduced the Living Donor Protection Act of 2017, to protect the rights of living organ donors.
The Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) does not specify that living organ donors can take unpaid leave to recover from their donation and does not guarantee that donors will have a job waiting for them after surgery. Further, according a 2007 study in the American Journal of Transplantation, as many as 11% of living organ donors experience difficulty securing or paying for insurance after their procedures because of discriminatory practices.
The Living Donor Protection Act would protect living organ donors and promote organ donation in three ways:
· Prohibit life, disability, and long term care insurance companies from denying or limiting coverage and from charging higher premiums for living organ donors.
· Clarify that living organ donors may use FMLA time to recover from the surgeries and procedures involved in their donation.
· Direct HHS to update their materials on live organ donation to reflect these new protections and encourage more individuals to consider donating an organ.
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View the bill and track its progress.
HR 1270: Living Donor Protection Act of 2017
Web ID 139