Bill Summary
The "Living Organ Volunteer Engagement Act" (LOVE Act) proposes to amend the Social Security Act to create a demonstration program under Medicare aimed at training facilitators for living kidney donor transplants. This program will be established within 180 days of enactment and will last for eight years.
Here are the key components of the legislation:
1. **Purpose**: The program's primary goal is to train individuals who will assist patients with end-stage renal disease in finding potential living kidney donors and help them navigate the donation process.
2. **Eligible Hospitals**: Only hospitals that perform kidney transplants can participate, and these hospitals will be reimbursed by Medicare for the reasonable costs associated with the training programs.
3. **Reporting Requirements**: The Secretary of Health and Human Services must report to Congress every year, starting six years after the enactment, detailing metrics such as increases in living kidney donors, transplant numbers, patient outcomes, cost savings to Medicare, and qualitative feedback from participants.
4. **Flexibility**: The Secretary has the authority to waive certain provisions to facilitate the program's implementation.
Overall, this legislation aims to improve kidney donation rates and enhance the efficiency of the transplant process, ultimately benefiting patients and reducing costs associated with long-term dialysis treatments.
Possible Impacts
The "Living Organ Volunteer Engagement Act" (LOVE Act) could have several significant impacts on individuals and communities. Here are three examples:
1. **Increased Living Kidney Donations**: By providing funding for living kidney donor transplant facilitator training programs, the legislation aims to educate and empower individuals to assist potential kidney donors. This could lead to an increase in the number of living kidney donations. More trained facilitators can help patients with end-stage renal disease identify suitable donors and navigate the donation process, ultimately improving transplant outcomes and reducing wait times for kidney transplants.
2. **Improved Patient Outcomes**: The act's focus on facilitating the kidney donation process may result in better health outcomes for patients with end-stage renal disease. With trained facilitators assisting patients and their families, individuals may receive timely support and information, leading to more successful transplants. This can decrease reliance on dialysis treatments, which are less effective and more costly over time, improving the overall quality of life for patients.
3. **Cost Savings for Medicare**: The implementation of the demonstration program could yield significant cost savings for the Medicare program. By increasing the number of living donor transplants, the need for expensive dialysis treatments may decline. As the act mandates reporting on cost savings attributable to these changes, it could influence future healthcare spending and resource allocation, benefiting taxpayers and the healthcare system as a whole.
These examples illustrate how the LOVE Act could positively impact individuals in need of kidney transplants, their families, and the broader healthcare system.
[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 7581 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
119th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 7581
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a
demonstration program to provide payment under the Medicare program for
living kidney donor transplant facilitator training.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
February 13, 2026
Ms. Malliotakis (for herself and Mr. Gottheimer) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Energy and
Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a
period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for
consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the
committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend title XVIII of the Social Security Act to establish a
demonstration program to provide payment under the Medicare program for
living kidney donor transplant facilitator training.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Living Organ Volunteer Engagement
Act'' or the ``LOVE Act''.
SEC. 2. MEDICARE DEMONSTRATION PROGRAM TO PROVIDE PAYMENT FOR LIVING
KIDNEY DONOR TRANSPLANT FACILITATOR TRAINING.
Section 1881 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1395rr) is
amended by adding at the end the following new subsection:
``(i) Living Kidney Donor Transplant Facilitator Training
Demonstration Program.--
``(1) In general.--Not later than 180 days after the date
of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall
establish an 8-year demonstration program under which, for each
year of the program, the Secretary shall pay to each eligible
hospital participating in the program for such year an amount
equal to the reasonable costs of the hospital in operating a
living kidney donor transplant facilitator training program
described in paragraph (3) for such year, as determined by the
Secretary.
``(2) Eligible hospital.--A hospital is eligible to
participate in the demonstration program under this subsection
if such hospital is a hospital in which kidney transplants are
performed.
``(3) Living kidney donor transplant facilitator training
program described.--A living kidney donor transplant
facilitator training program described in this paragraph is a
program operated by a hospital that trains individuals to--
``(A) assist individuals who are entitled to
benefits under parts A and B of this title and have
been determined to have end-stage renal disease in
identifying prospective living kidney donors; and
``(B) assist individuals entitled to benefits under
parts A and B of this title pursuant to subsection (d)
in successfully navigating the kidney donation process.
``(4) Waiver.--The Secretary may waive such provisions of
this title as may be necessary in order to implement the
demonstration program.
``(5) Reports.--
``(A) Initial report.--Not later than 6 years after
the date of the enactment of this subsection, the
Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of
Congress a report that includes, with respect to the 5-
year period following such date of enactment, the
following information:
``(i) Any increase in the number of living
kidney donors, as compared to the 5-year period
preceding such date of enactment.
``(ii) Any increase in the number of
transplants conducted using kidneys donated by
living donors, as compared to the 5-year period
preceding such date of enactment.
``(iii) Outcome measures for individuals
that received kidneys from living donors during
such period.
``(iv) Any cost savings to the Medicare
program attributable to the increase in
transplant services and the decline in dialysis
services, as compared to the 5-year period
preceding such date of enactment.
``(v) Qualitative information with respect
to transplants conducted using kidneys donated
by living donors during such period, as
determined based on interviews of facilitators,
volunteers at eligible hospitals participating
in the demonstration program established under
paragraph (1), living kidney donors, and kidney
transplant recipients.
``(B) Subsequent reports.--Not later than 1 year
after the initial report is submitted under
subparagraph (A), and annually thereafter for the next
2 years, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate
committees of Congress a report that includes updates
to the information described in clauses (i) through (v)
of such subparagraph.
``(C) Definitions.--In this paragraph:
``(i) Appropriate committees of congress.--
The term `appropriate committees of Congress'
means--
``(I) the Committee on Ways and
Means and the Committee on Energy and
Commerce of the House of
Representatives; and
``(II) the Committee on Finance of
the Senate.
``(ii) Facilitator.--The term `facilitator'
means an individual who has received training
under a living kidney donor transplant
facilitator training program described in
paragraph (3).''.
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