Challenges, Innovations, and Next Steps in Achieving Financial Neutrality for Living Donors

AbstractPurpose of ReviewRecent national attention on living kidney donation brings renewed focus on policy related to alleviating financial burdens for donors, reducing out-of-pocket expenses incurred in the donation process, and optimizing follow-up care. This review examines the Advancing American Kidney Health Executive Order and its potential to improve financial neutrality for living organ donors.Recent FindingsAvailable research, including single and multi-center studies, demonstrate that living donors face financial burdens in the donation process, which may be decreased by covering lost wages and expenses related to dependent care. Drawing from these findings, recent consensus statements and subsequent federal guidance proposed interventions to reduce financial barriers for living donors.SummaryPolicy efforts to improve financial neutrality for living donors can help remove disincentives to donation and facilitate more living donor transplantations. The outcome of policy changes should be monitored to determine impact and identify further areas of attention, including increasing reimbursement caps and liberalizing donor and recipient income limits.
Source: Current Transplantation Reports - Category: Transplant Surgery Source Type: research