The American Society of Transplantation (AST) applauds the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee for passing the Living Donor Protection Act (LDPA) out of Committee. This bi-partisan vote marks an important and long-overdue move forward for the transplant community and the thousands of Americans who make the extraordinary decision to become living organ donors.
Living donors make a courageous and selfless choice to save lives. The Living Donor Protection Act ensures that donors are not penalized for their compassion by prohibiting life, disability, and long-term care insurers from denying coverage or increasing premiums based solely on donor status.
The legislation also affirms that living donors can utilize FMLA leave to recover from donation surgery, providing essential job protection during the recovery period. In addition, it requires the Department of Health and Human Services to update educational materials to reflect these protections and to promote living donation more broadly.
We appreciate the leadership of Senators Tom Cotton and Kirsten Gillibrand, along with the House sponsors, in advancing this legislation to this critical stage. We urge the full Senate to pass this important bill and call on House leadership to bring it to the floor promptly to ensure that the individuals who step forward as living donors to save lives are fully protected.
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