Frank McCormick forwards this email:
From: Elaine Perlman
Sent: Thursday, December 29,
2022 5:44 PM
Subject: Governor Hochul Has Signed
the Living Donor Support Act!
"Hello!
I am delighted to
inform you all that the New York State's Living Donor Support Act (LDSA, S.
1594) was signed by Governor Hochul today.
New York is
becoming the best state for organ donation!
Thank you for your
advocacy in support of this legislation. The LDSA will save more New Yorkers'
lives.
Waitlist Zero's
Executive Director Josh Morrison wrote the legislation. State Senator Rivera
from The Bronx and Assembly Member Gottfried from Manhattan sponsored the bill.
This spring, a team
from the NKDO, NKF, DOVE, LiveOn New York, and Waitlist Zero lobbied for the
bill's passage in Albany. Soon after, the LDSA was unanimously passed by both
houses.
This new law
creates the opportunity for New York's living donors to avoid going into debt
to donate. Living donors will be reimbursed for their lost wages and
out-of-pocket expenses. New York will be the first state in the country to
offer this opportunity for donation to be cost neutral for donors.
Currently the
Federal Government only reimburses when both the recipient and donor
make less than 350% of the poverty line (around $47,000). The LDSA will
reimburse the lost wages of donors who make up to $125,000 as well as the costs
of donation (travel, childcare, etc).
In addition, the
LDSA will ensure that all potential recipients will be educated about
transplantation.
There are currently 8,569 people on New York's transplant wait lists, 7,234 of whom are awaiting a kidney. With the LDSA, we anticipate that far more New Yorkers will benefit from a living organ donation.
Here is the press release.
On Tuesday, January 3rd from 4-5pm ET, we will have a virtual celebration and toast the passage of the LDSA! Here is our zoom link.
Please share this good news far & wide!
Best,
Elaine
Director, Waitlist Zero "
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Because the National Living Donor Assistance Center (NLDAC) is a payer of last resort, the NY law will replace NLDAC for NY donors who do meet the means test, and so it will also allow the NLDAC budget to go further.
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Update: Frank McCormick writes to alert me that, like the authorization for NLDAC, the NY State law (https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2021/S1594) "requires that the Program shall be payer of last resort..." I hope that this doesn't turn into a competition to be the payer of last resort in a way that might cause some NY donors to fall between the cracks, and not be reimbursed either by NLDAC or the State of New York.