Public Policy Committee Report, May 2024
The Public Policy Committee meets twice per month to discuss public and legislative information that affects organ, eye, and tissue donation. Our goal is to inform our members and chapters and rally assistance when needed.
This year, the Committee has focused on several major legislative and executive branch areas:
1. We continue to be part of the Partnership for Part D Access, which works to maintain Medicare coverage of prescription drugs for the transplant community and the other five protected classes of patients. To date, the Partnership has successfully lobbied Medicare to prevent any coverage limitations.
2. A very important concern for the transplant population came about this year when Medicare did eliminate the use of non-invasive blood draws (rather than biopsies) to monitor for organ rejection. The campaign that ensued, called Honor the Gift 2, succeeded in having Medicare re-evaluate its decision to eliminate non-invasive monitoring and restore the use of such tests for kidney, heart, and lung maintenance.
3. Since 9/11, organs were temporarily transported as air cargo rather than in airplane cockpits. UNOS approached the Committee to ask for TRIO sign-on to a request to have organs once again transported in airplane cockpits. Thanks in part to TRIO’s recommendation, the Senate and House have passed FAA re-authorization.
4. The Committee continues to monitor the new law, H.R. 2544, the “Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act,” which allows for the award of multiple grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements to operate the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network. The Committee was briefed by UNOS personnel on the state of the modernization activities. The Committee hasn’t asked TRIO to take a position on the activities, but is providing information and updates to the Board, the chapters, and the members of TRIO.