Transplant Support at the State Level

Transplant support is a set of policies to make it easy to ask for a kidney transplant and easy and attractive to give. State legislation can help further these goals, support kidney donors, and help patients with kidney failure attain life-saving kidney transplants.

We expect this legislation to cost about $8,000 dollars per kidney donor or about $44 million dollars if passed throughout the country. If it increased living kidney donation by only 25%, it would save between $120 and $370 million in healthcare costs per year.

The state legislation we envision has four central prongs:

“I understand the ethics behind not ‘paying’ for an organ, but I do believe that many donors would consider donating if their expenses were completely covered”
— Amy, donor to her husband

Covering Financial Costs

Covering financial costs of donation such as lost wages, travel, and childcare.

“This donation cost me around $7,000. If you donate a kidney you should be out nothing but a kidney.”
— Jessica, donor to her cousin

“I have to have regular blood tests to check my kidney function. I can’t always afford to do it. I wish follow-up care for donors could be decreased in cost.”
— Wendy, donor to father

Guaranteed Donor Health Insurance

We want states to reimburse a year’s worth of health insurance for any donors who don’t have it prior to donating.

“I had a great experience, but my insurance doesn’t completely cover all the tests my doctor likes to do now that I only have one kidney.”
— Rori, donor to dad

“Follow up care is very important for living donors.”
— Ellen, donor to a co-worker

Living Donor Registry

We want each state to collect health and outcome information for every living donor so that the medical field can continually improve its understanding of the benefits and risks of living donation.

“I didn’t have much of an idea what to expect. Education was something we both desperately desired to receive, but did not. Medical professionals need to really talk to donor and recipient – not at them or over their heads.”
— AJ, donor to mother

Independent Transplant Education

We want each state to require every patient who will be medically eligible for transplant to receive high-quality, specialized transplant education.

Other Programs

Federal Campaigns | Public Awareness | Transplant Education

Resources

The National Kidney Registry
UNOS
Alliance for Paired Donation
Coalition Facebook Page
Renewal