AST Spearheads Coalition Letter in Support of Living Donor Protection Act of 2016
The AST was joined by more than 25 other organization in signing this letter of support for legislation to protect living donors from job loss or discrimination.
DATE: April 18, 2016
RE: Co-Sponsor the Living Donor Protection Act - H.R. 4616 & S. 2584
Dear Member of Congress:
On behalf of the more than 120,000 individuals currently awaiting a lifesaving donor organ, our organizations respectfully request your consideration in cosponsoring S. 2584 & H.R. 4616, the Living Donor Protection Act. This important legislation would have a significant positive impact at the local and national levels, allowing more individuals to serve as living organ donors without the fear of job loss or discrimination.
The Living Donor Protection Act seeks to protect living organ donors and promote organ donation in three ways:
- Prohibits life, disability, and long term care insurance companies from denying or limiting coverage and from charging higher premiums for living organ donors;
- Clarifies that living organ donors may use FMLA time to recover from the surgeries and procedures involved in their donation; and
- Directs HHS to update their materials on live organ donation to reflect these new protections and encourage more individuals to consider donating an organ.
The bipartisan & bicameral legislation was introduced recently by Senators Mark Kirk (R-IL) & Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) and Congressmen Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) & Michael Burgess, MD (R-TX).
Thank you in advance for your consideration of our request to cosponsor the Living Donor Protection Act. This important legislation will further remove policy barriers and disincentives for those individuals seeking to provide a lifesaving donor organ to another human being.
Please do not hesitate to contact any of our organizations directly if you have questions or require any additional information.
Sincerely,
American Society of Transplantation (AST)
American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD)
American Association of Kidney Patients (AAKP)
American Nephrology Nurses Association (ANNA)
American Society for Histocompatibility and Immunogenetics (ASHI)
American Society of Nephrology (ASN)
American Society of Pediatric Nephrology (ASPN)
American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS)
Association of Organ Procurement Organizations (AOPO)
Dialysis Patient Citizens
Donate Life America
Eye Bank Association of America
Global Liver Institute
IGA Nephropathy Foundation of America
Internation Pediatric Transplant Association (IPTA)*
Living Kidney Donors Network
National Kidney Foundation (NKF)
National Kidney Registry (NKR)
National Renal Administrators Association
North American Transplant Coordinators Organization (NATCO)
Northeast Kidney Foundation
Organ Donation and Transplantation Alliance
Oxalosis & Hyperoxaluria Foundation (OHF)
Renal Physicians Association
Renal Support Network
Society for Transplant Social Workers
Texas Transplantation Society
Transplant Recipients International Organization (TRIO)
Transplant Support Organization (TSO)
TransplantFirst Academy*
United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS)
Waitlist Zero
*denotes organizations signing on after original release of letter