LOVE Act
Officially: “LOVE Act” Read the full text
What it does
Read it in plain language
1Short title
This section would let the bill be called the "Living Organ Volunteer Engagement Act" or the "LOVE Act."
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1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Living Organ Volunteer Engagement Act or the LOVE Act .
2Medicare demonstration program to provide payment for living kidney donor transplant facilitator training
This section would add a new subsection to the part of Medicare law covering end-stage renal disease. Within 180 days after enactment, the Secretary of Health and Human Services would have to set up an 8-year demonstration program. For each year of the program, the Secretary would pay every participating hospital an amount equal to that hospital's reasonable costs of running a living kidney donor transplant facilitator training program, with the amount determined by the Secretary. A hospital could take part in the program only if it is a hospital where kidney transplants are performed. A facilitator training program run by a hospital would have to train individuals to do two things: help people who are entitled to Medicare Part A and Part B benefits and who have been determined to have end-stage renal disease identify prospective living kidney donors, and help people entitled to Medicare Part A and Part B benefits under subsection (d) of this same Medicare section successfully get through the kidney donation process. The Secretary could waive any provisions of the Medicare title needed to carry out the demonstration program. Not later than 6 years after enactment, the Secretary would have to submit an initial report to Congress covering the 5-year period following enactment, including: any increase in the number of living kidney donors, as compared to the 5-year period before enactment; any increase in the number of transplants using kidneys from living donors, as compared to the 5-year period before enactment; outcome measures for people who received kidneys from living donors during that period; and any Medicare cost savings tied to more transplants and less dialysis, as compared to the 5-year period before enactment. That initial report would also have to include qualitative information about living-donor transplants during that period, gathered from interviews of facilitators, volunteers at participating hospitals, living kidney donors, and kidney transplant recipients. Starting 1 year after the initial report is submitted and continuing annually for the following 2 years, the Secretary would have to submit further reports to Congress updating all of that same information. These reports would go to the House Committees on Ways and Means and on Energy and Commerce, and to the Senate Committee on Finance. A "facilitator" would mean a person who has received training under one of these living kidney donor transplant facilitator training programs.
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2. Medicare demonstration program to provide payment for living kidney donor transplant facilitator training Section 1881 of the Social Security Act ( 42 U.S.C. 1395rr ) is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: (i) Living kidney donor transplant facilitator training demonstration program (1) In general Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall establish an 8-year demonstration program under which, for each year of the program, the Secretary shall pay to each eligible hospital participating in the program for such year an amount equal to the reasonable costs of the hospital in operating a living kidney donor transplant facilitator training program described in paragraph (3) for such year, as determined by the Secretary. (2) Eligible hospital A hospital is eligible to participate in the demonstration program under this subsection if such hospital is a hospital in which kidney transplants are performed. (3) Living kidney donor transplant facilitator training program described A living kidney donor transplant facilitator training program described in this paragraph is a program operated by a hospital that trains individuals to— (A) assist individuals who are entitled to benefits under parts A and B of this title and have been determined to have end-stage renal disease in identifying prospective living kidney donors; and (B) assist individuals entitled to benefits under parts A and B of this title pursuant to subsection (d) in successfully navigating the kidney donation process. (4) Waiver The Secretary may waive such provisions of this title as may be necessary in order to implement the demonstration program. (5) Reports (A) Initial report Not later than 6 years after the date of the enactment of this subsection, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes, with respect to the 5-year period following such date of enactment, the following information: (i) Any increase in the number of living kidney donors, as compared to the 5-year period preceding such date of enactment. (ii) Any increase in the number of transplants conducted using kidneys donated by living donors, as compared to the 5-year period preceding such date of enactment. (iii) Outcome measures for individuals that received kidneys from living donors during such period. (iv) Any cost savings to the Medicare program attributable to the increase in transplant services and the decline in dialysis services, as compared to the 5-year period preceding such date of enactment. (v) Qualitative information with respect to transplants conducted using kidneys donated by living donors during such period, as determined based on interviews of facilitators, volunteers at eligible hospitals participating in the demonstration program established under paragraph (1) , living kidney donors, and kidney transplant recipients. (B) Subsequent reports Not later than 1 year after the initial report is submitted under subparagraph (A) , and annually thereafter for the next 2 years, the Secretary shall submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report that includes updates to the information described in clauses (i) through (v) of such subparagraph. (C) Definitions In this paragraph: (i) Appropriate committees of Congress The term appropriate committees of Congress means— (I) the Committee on Ways and Means and the Committee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Representatives; and (II) the Committee on Finance of the Senate. (ii) Facilitator The term facilitator means an individual who has received training under a living kidney donor transplant facilitator training program described in paragraph (3). .
Where it is
In the House.