Opinion: Kidney donations hurt by financial barriers. Time to end that.
There are around 50,000 Floridians living with kidney failure. In 2023, over 4,000 of them were on the waitlist to receive a life-saving transplant. Due to the shortage of available kidneys, thousands of people die each year before they can receive the surgery they need.
In my 20s, I learned about the life-saving impact of living organ donations. At 28, I donated my kidney through the National Kidney Registry and found out it went to a teenager who wouldn't have survived otherwise. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made, and I was fortunate that my employer provided the paid leave I needed for the donation and recovery.
However, the average person who wants to donate a kidney to save a stranger's life can expect to lose thousands of dollars in the process. Economists estimate the cost of travel, lost income, and home care during recovery at over $10,000. This doesn't even account for the pain, discomfort, and other factors that dissuade people from donating.
Our medical system should reward kidney donors, not penalize them. That's why I'm thrilled to see the introduction of the federal End Kidney Deaths Act (H.R. 9275) , which will provide a $10,000 refundable tax credit each year for five years to living kidney donors. If passed, the bill would save the lives of 100,000 Americans currently on the kidney waitlist, while also saving taxpayers between $10 billion and $37 billion.
This is because Medicare covers the cost of dialysis and other treatments for most kidney failure patients, which comes at a steep cost—$50 billion annually, around 1% of all federal taxes. While dialysis saves lives, most patients who start it are unlikely to survive beyond five years. In contrast, people who receive transplants from a living donor will survive for an average of 20 to 25 years—twice as long as those who receive a kidney from a deceased donor.
Beyond the financial costs, dialysis places a tremendous strain on patients' time and health, often making it difficult or impossible for them to work or travel. A transplant, by comparison, offers a significantly better quality of life, allowing patients to live longer and without the need for costly, taxpayer-funded dialysis.
By removing financial disincentives for would-be donors, we can greatly extend and improve the lives of countless Americans with kidney disease. Providing a federal tax credit to donors saves lives and taxpayer dollars. In a time of intense political division, this bipartisan proposal is one that Republicans and Democrats can—and should—get behind. The End Kidney Deaths Act is already sponsored by a range of representatives, from U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., to U.S. Rep. Don Bacon, R-Neb..
However, with gridlock and chaos in Congress, Florida shouldn't wait for the federal government to act. We need similar legislation at the state level to lower the barriers to donating kidneys to Floridians in need.
Making it easier for people to donate their kidneys is a common-sense solution that can unite Americans across the political spectrum to make a real difference in people's lives. In today's divided political climate, we need more policies like this. If you agree, I encourage you to reach out to your congressperson to ask—or thank them—for their support of the End Kidney Deaths Act.
Jay Shooster is an attorney living in Boca Raton.
