In committee
Charlotte Woodward Organ Transplant Discrimination Prevention Act
This bill prohibits healthcare providers and transplant centers from denying organ transplants, specialist referrals, or spots on waiting lists solely because a patient has a disability. Hospitals must provide necessary communication aids and allow patients to rely on support networks—such as family, friends, or home aides—to help make decisions and manage post-surgery care. A doctor may only consider a disability if an individualized evaluation proves it is medically significant to the procedure, and individuals who face discrimination can file expedited complaints with the Department of Health and Human Services.
People affected—The operative text does not specify the number of individuals with disabilities seeking or in need of organ transplants.
Fiscal magnitude—no CBO estimate published
Reach35provisional · pending reviewrigor: heuristic llm
What this bill touches.
Disability access+55
Who it helps · who it burdens.
Who it helps
- individuals with disabilities seeking organ transplantsGrants protections against being denied organ transplants, specialist referrals, or placement on transplant waiting lists solely because of a disability, and guarantees rights to reasonable modifications, auxiliary aids, and consideration of support networks.
Who it burdens
- healthcare providers and transplant hospitalsProhibits denying transplants or referrals based solely on disability, and requires entities to provide reasonable policy modifications and auxiliary aids unless doing so causes an undue burden or fundamental alteration.
- organ transplant network governing boardProhibits the network's governing board from adopting policies, recommendations, or memoranda that hinder organ transplant access solely based on a person's disability.
- Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil RightsRequired to receive and process claims of alleged organ transplant disability discrimination for expedited resolution.