NY Assembly bill would give lifetime health care for people who donate a kidney

by: WROC Staff

Posted: Nov 4, 2019 / 03:21 PM EST / Updated: Nov 4, 2019 / 03:21 PM EST

FILE – In this Jan. 17, 2018, file photo, a transplant surgeon holds the kidney from a donor during surgery in St. Louis. America’s transplant system is run by a network of government contractors that do the tough job of collecting organs from deceased donors. Those groups are under fire for letting potentially usable organs go to waste. (Laurie Skrivan/St. Louis Post-Dispatch via AP, File)

ALBANY, N.Y. (WROC) — A bill proposed in the New York State Assembly would offer lifetime health insurance for people who donate a kidney.

The bill, S06827, would provide “lifetime, premium-free insurance through the New York state of health marketplace to a person who donates a kidney during the course of his or her lifetime” and establish a kidney donor insurance fund.

The bill is sponsored by state Sen. James Koufis (D-39), and if passed, would take effect immediately and shall apply to all live donor kidney donations made on or after such effective date.