California State Assembly bill would reimburse living donor expenses

 Here's some news about CA's newly proposed bill to reimburse living organ donor expenses.

American Kidney Fund Applauds Introduction of California Living Organ Donor Reimbursement Act. If passed, AB 2504 would be the first law of its kind in the nation

"The American Kidney Fund (AKF) strongly supports the introduction of the Living Organ Donor Reimbursement Act (AB 2504) in the California State Assembly. The Living Organ Donor Reimbursement Act is a groundbreaking piece of legislation that would provide direct reimbursements of up to $10,000 to living organ donors for expenses associated with organ donation not covered by insurance. The bill would be the first of its kind enacted in the nation and would greatly remove financial barriers that currently prevent potential living organ donors from making their lifesaving gift.

"AKF has been working closely with the bill’s sponsor, Assemblymember Ash Kalra (District 27), to craft this legislation and introduce it in the State Assembly. According to AKF’s Living Donor Protection Report Card, 20 states currently reimburse living donors through tax credits or deductions, which help to remove financial barriers but are not nearly as inclusive as direct reimbursements. If this bill is enacted, California would be the first state to provide direct reimbursements to donors after surgery through the establishment of a Living Organ Donor Reimbursement Program in the State Department of Health Care Services."

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And here's the proposed bill:

ASSEMBLY BILL NO. 2504  Introduced by Assembly Member Kalra, (Coauthors: Assembly Members Bennett, Cristina Garcia, and Mullin), February 17, 2022

"Existing law, the Michelle Maykin Memorial Donation Protection Act, requires an employer to grant an employee an unpaid leave of absence, as specified, for the purpose of organ donation.

"Existing law establishes the State Department of Health Care Services within the California Health and Human Services Agency. Existing law sets forth the department’s powers and duties relating to, among other things, public health, licensing and certification of certain health facilities, and the state Medi-Cal program.

"This bill, the Living Organ Donor Reimbursement Act, would establish the Living Organ Donor Reimbursement Program in the State Department of Health Care Services to reduce financial barriers for living organ donors. The bill would authorize living organ donors, as defined, to apply to the department for reimbursement of qualified donation expenses, as defined, that were not, or will not, otherwise be reimbursed, including travel and lodging expenses, lost wages, child care costs, and medication costs. The bill would limit the total reimbursement costs awarded to each living organ donor to $10,000 per organ donation. The bill would create the Living Organ Donor Reimbursement Fund within the State Treasury. The bill would authorize the Controller to accept donations to the fund from private entities, and would continuously appropriate these moneys for purposes of the program. The bill would require the Controller to allocate other moneys in the fund, upon appropriation by the Legislature, for purposes of the program. The bill would repeal the provisions of the bill on January 1, 2027."