National Kidney Foundation Applauds Progress on HOLD Act

Statement from the NKF on House Energy and Commerce Committee Advancing the Honor Our Living Donors (HOLD) Act (H.R. 6020)

Washington, DC (June 12, 2024)—The following is a statement from Kevin Longino, Chief Executive Officer of the National Kidney Foundation and a kidney transplant recipient, on the HOLD Act.

“In this era of division, the House Energy and Commerce Committee unanimously advanced the Honor Our Living Donors (HOLD) Act. That says something about the seriousness of the issues living donors face. The HOLD Act will address some of those issues in a meaningful way and lessen the burden on those who want to give the gift of organ donation. Ultimately that will give more patients access to lifesaving transplantation and save lives. We applaud the bill’s sponsors Representative Jay Obernolte (R-CA) and Representative Suzan DelBene (D-WA), as well as the House Energy and Commerce Committee for wisely moving this legislation forward.”

Additional Background on Honor Our Living Donors Act:
The HOLD Act would expand access to the National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC), which provides reimbursement for living donors that incur expenses like travel, childcare, and lost wages related to their living donation. Currently, eligibility for this assistance is based on the recipient's income, not the donor's. The HOLD Act would change this by requiring financial aid to be determined solely by the donor's income level. This change could remove a significant barrier for many living donors who may struggle to ask their recipients for help with costs like travel, childcare, and lost wages from time off work.

To learn more about kidney disease and how to maintain optimal kidney health visit www.kidney.org/.

About National Kidney Foundation
The National Kidney Foundation is the largest patient-centric organization dedicated to the awareness, prevention, and treatment of kidney disease. It is revolutionizing the fight to save lives by eliminating preventable kidney disease, accelerating innovation for the dignity of the patient experience, and dismantling structural inequities in kidney care, dialysis, and transplantation. For more information about kidney disease, please visit www.kidney.org/.
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