House OKs Bill To Pay for Nonmedical Expenses of Organ Donation

The House on Wednesday voted 414-2 to approve a bill (HR 3926) that would reimburse organ donors for travel and other nonmedical expenses involved in transplant surgery, the AP/Houston Chronicle reports. Beginning Oct. 1, the bill would allow HHS to spend $5 million a year to reimburse qualified donors and provide another $15 million for grants to states, public awareness campaigns and studies on improving recovery and donation rates (Kumar, AP/Houston Chronicle, 3/25). According to CQ Today, states, transplant centers, qualified organ procurement organizations and "other qualified organizations" would be eligible for the grants (CQ Today 3/24). The bill also would fund new programs to coordinate organ donations at hospitals and procurement agencies, CongressDaily reports (CongressDaily, 3/25). The bill now goes to the Senate, which in November passed a similar measure (S 573), for consideration (CQ Today 3/24).