Georgia legislature enacts protections for living organ donors
The American Kidney Fund announced its support for the passing of The Giving the Gift of Life Act, which protects living organ donors in the state of Georgia.
The act, H.B. 275, was designed to keep life insurers from denying or canceling coverage of living organ donors. Additionally, the act increases tax credits available for living donors to $25,000.
Data were derived from the press release.
“Living donor protections, like those in the Giving the Gift of Life Act, save lives by removing barriers to living organ donation and making more transplants possible. We are grateful to Governor Kemp, the Georgia General Assembly and the AKF ambassadors who provided written testimony on behalf of the legislation,” LaVarne A. Burton, president and CEO of AKF, said in the release.
As Healio previously reported, the AKF graded Georgia on its protection laws in the annual Living Donor Protection Report Card. However, the passing of The Giving the Gift of Life Act brings the report card grade for Georgia from a C to a B.
New living donor protection laws in Georgia follow the passing of S.B. 218 in Delaware. Currently, the average report card grade in the United States is a C.
“By prohibiting discriminatory practices against living organ donors and increasing incentives for both individuals and their employers to donate, there will be more organs available for the nearly 4,000 Georgians on the organ transplant waiting list, including more than 3,500 who are waiting for a kidney,” Burton said in the release.
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