Right now, there's a federal program that helps pay back organ donors for expenses they have to cover when donating an organ—things like travel costs, time off work, and other related expenses. However, the program has a catch: it only reimburses donors if the person receiving their organ isn't making too much money. Specifically, the recipient can't earn more than 350% of the federal poverty line, or the donor doesn't get reimbursed.

This bill removes that income restriction. It says that no matter how much money the organ recipient makes, the donor should still be able to get reimbursed for their expenses. The bill also clarifies that donors can get reimbursed even if the recipient never pays them back directly—the reimbursement comes from the federal program, not from the recipient's pocket.

The bill also requires the Department of Health and Human Services to study whether the current program actually covers all the real expenses that organ donors face. If it doesn't, they have to report back on how much more money would be needed to fully reimburse donors. The goal is to make sure that people who generously donate organs aren't stuck paying out of pocket for costs related to their donation.

Honor Our Living Donors Act

Obernolte, Jay

Honor Our Living Donors ActThis bill modifies certain&nbsp;criteria used to determine eligibility under the Living Organ Donation Reimbursement Program, which reimburses organ donors for certain incidental expenses related to organ donation (e.g., travel expenses).&nbsp;The bill specifies that the organ recipient's income may not be considered in determining whether an organ donor may be reimbursed under the program. (Currently, an organ recipient's income may not be greater than 350% of the federal poverty guidelines.) Additionally, under the bill, organ donors may be reimbursed regardless of whether the organ recipient pays them (or could be expected to pay them) for their expenses.The Department of Health and Human Services must report on whether the program adequately covers the expenses of organ donors, and if not, the amount of necessary funding.&nbsp;