Public Policy Committee Report, July 2025

JULY 2025 PUBLIC POLICY

TRIO is continuing its long tradition of staying aware of legislative and administrative activities that affect our transplant community and then making sure TRIO keeps you, our members, aware of these activities.

As such, TRIO has been a long-standing participant on behalf of two major Washington efforts:

HONOR THE GIFT ACTIVITIES

Honor The Gift (HTG) is the group that has fought for non-invasive rejection monitoring. As of now, CMS supports the use of monitoring tests even if they are for surveillance monitoring on a periodic basis.

In recent months, HTG has been evaluating other projects that would improve post-transplant care. Recently, the HTG group discussed the post-transplant prior authorization process and how the HTG group might improve this process on behalf

of the transplant community.

PART D PRESCRIPTION DRUG COALITION

The Partnership for Part D Access has for many years lobbied for unfettered access to prescription drugs for several patient groups known under Medicare Part D as the 6 Protected Classes. As of now, there aren’t any direct legislative or administrative actions that would negatively impact that access.

CONGRESSIONAL ACTIVITIES

In addition to these efforts, TRIO stays in touch with Congressional members who are sponsoring legislation on behalf of our community, for donors and for recipients. Here are several examples of bills recently introduced in Congress that TRIO has been tracking:

LIVING DONOR PROTECTION ACT

The Living Donor Protection Act provides protection to donors for their coverage from insurance companies and employers. TRIO has been a long-standing supporter of this legislation.

END KIDNEY DEATHS ACT

This Act proposes to modify NOTA, the original legislation that was passed

in 1984, to create the organ donation process in the United States. This proposal

would allow for the purchase and sale of organs through some regulated process.

At this time, there is only a House bill that’s been introduced; there is no corresponding

Senate legislation, so TRIO isn’t offering any endorsement or support for this bill.

There are other bills that have been introduced into the Congress that TRIO is aware of but haven’t gained bi-partisan support or have only been introduced in one chamber of Congress, but not both the House and the Senate:

Removing Burdens from Organ Donation Act

Living Organ Donor Tax Credit Act

Honor Our Living Donors Act

The Expanding Support for Living Donors Act

The Living Organ Volunteer Engagement Act

The Public Policy Committee will continue to monitor the progress of any of these bills and report out to you, the membership, when changes occur.

Are you interested in joining the Public Policy Committee? Would you volunteer your time to our meetings and activities? Do you have interest in becoming your chapter’s champion on behalf of policy activities? If any of these activities interest you, please contact Ike Copperman, at irajay2004@gmail.com, or 917-838-4525.