ASN asks Congress to increase funding for the US transplant system
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Key takeaways:
- Additional funding would go toward the Health Resources and Services Administration Organ Transplantation Program.
- Congress provided $59 million in fiscal year 2024 to implement transplant reforms.
The American Society of Nephrology has called on Congress to increase funding for the U.S. transplant system by $8 million in fiscal year 2025, according to a press release.
“ASN urges Congress to build on its historic commitment to people seeking a kidney transplant by increasing investment in the U.S. transplant system” Deidra C. Crews, MD, ScM, FASN, president of ASN, said in the release. “People with kidney failure deserve to have access to the best therapy for kidney failure — a kidney transplant — maximized at every opportunity.”
The additional funding would go toward the Health Resources and Services Administration Organ Transplantation Program to total a $67 million budget for the support of patients seeking a transplant and to implement reforms to modernize the transplant system. Specifically, the influx would also establish independent governance for the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), invest in core systems to improve functionality, and update information and technology infrastructure, according to the release.
Congress passed the Securing the U.S. Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Act in 2023 to increase accountability, transparency and competition in the transplant system. In March, lawmakers provided $59 million, a $23 million increase, in fiscal year 2024 to implement reforms called for in the act.
“ASN is grateful for the leadership demonstrated by Congress and the administration in establishing long-needed reforms to the transplant system,” Crews said, “and now is the time to double-down on these improvements and ensure the U.S. transplant system is more proficient in serving patients and their families.”
Reference:
American Society of Nephrology calls on congress to increase funding for the US transplant system. https://www.asn-online.org/about/press/releases/ASN_PR_20240418_FINALAdvocayEvent4..pdf. Published April 17, 2023. Accessed April 19, 2024.
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