Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act

Hozzl · 2024-10-04T19:57:20Z

Explore the details of House Bill 2706 Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act currently in Congress. Get insights into its purpose, current status, sponsors, and potential impact on Health. Stay informed on legislative developments.

10/4/2024, 7:57 PM

Summary of Bill HR 2706

Bill 118 HR 2706, also known as the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act, aims to address the issue of discrimination in organ transplant procedures. The bill is named after Charlotte Woodward, a young woman who was denied a heart transplant due to her disability.

The main purpose of this legislation is to prohibit health care providers and insurance companies from discriminating against individuals with disabilities or other factors that are not directly related to their ability to receive an organ transplant. This includes factors such as age, race, gender, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status.

Under the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act, health care providers and insurance companies would be required to evaluate individuals for organ transplants based solely on medical criteria and not on any discriminatory factors. This would help ensure that all individuals have equal access to life-saving organ transplants, regardless of their personal characteristics. The bill also includes provisions for monitoring and enforcing compliance with these non-discrimination requirements. Health care providers and insurance companies found to be in violation of the law could face penalties and sanctions. Overall, the Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act seeks to promote fairness and equality in the organ transplant process, ensuring that all individuals have a fair chance at receiving the life-saving treatment they need.

Congressional Summary of HR 2706

Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act

This bill expressly prohibits health care providers and other entities involved in matching donated organs with recipients from denying or restricting an individual's access to organ transplants solely on the basis of the individual's disability, except in limited circumstances.

Specifically, these entities may consider an individual's disability when making decisions about transplants only if a physician finds, based on an individualized evaluation, that the individual's physical or mental disability is medically significant to the provision of the transplant. A disability shall not be considered medically significant if the individual has an adequate support system in place to comply with transplant-related medical requirements.

These entities must also make reasonable changes to their policies to make transplants and related care more available to individuals with disabilities.

Aggrieved individuals may bring claims of discrimination to the Office of Civil Rights of the Department of Health and Human Services. The bill provides for expedited resolutions of these claims.

In addition, the board of directors of the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network may not issue policies that prohibit or hinder access to an organ transplant based solely on the individual's disability. This network is a public-private partnership linking professionals involved in the U.S. organ donation and transplantation system.

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Current Status of Bill HR 2706

Bill HR 2706 is currently in the status of Introduced to Senate since September 24, 2024. Bill HR 2706 was introduced during Congress 118 and was introduced to the House on April 19, 2023. Bill HR 2706's most recent activity was Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. as of September 24, 2024