Efforts to bolster organ donation in New York
Thousands of New York residents are waiting for a kidney transplant, and a long-delayed state program could soon spur more donors.
The state Department of Health recently laid the groundwork for a new initiative to reimburse living organ donors for expenses not covered by insurance — over two years after lawmakers passed legislation to establish a living donor support program.
Up to $14,000 in financial assistance would be available for lost wages, travel, food, lodging, child care, elder care and health care costs related to the donor's organ removal surgery.
'By further removing financial barriers, more New Yorkers will be empowered to become a living donor and give the enormous and selfless gift of life,' Cadence Acquaviva, a spokesperson for the Department of Health, said in a statement.
Because living donors can only give a kidney — or parts of their lung, liver and pancreas — the program is expected to be particularly helpful to kidney failure patients, who comprise roughly 7,000 of the 8,000 New Yorkers waiting for an organ transplant.
New Yorkers awaiting an organ transplant could also benefit from a bill known as the HEART Act, which passed both chambers last week.
If signed, the Helping Equal Access to Registrations for Transplants Act would repeal a 35-year-old ban that prevents New Yorkers who need a transplant from enlisting with multiple transplant centers.
The goal is to increase the likelihood that people receive a transplant and to reduce their wait time by a matter of years.
The measure received bipartisan support in both the Assembly and Senate.
'Through the HEART Act, we're creating a more equitable system and saving the lives of hundreds of New Yorkers,' bill sponsor Sen. April Baskin said in a statement. 'This is just one more step in our continuous work alongside legislative leaders and Donate Life New York State to strengthen the organ donation system and create a giving culture across the state.'
IN OTHER NEWS:
— NYC Health + Hospitals will expand its hospital-based violence interruption programming to Bellevue and Elmhurst Hospitals in the coming year, as the system continues work to unify its approach to treating victims of violent trauma and addressing gun violence as a public health crisis.
'Violence is more than a criminal justice issue — it is a public health crisis with a prescription that demands a coordinated, holistic public health response,' NYC Health + Hospitals President and CEO Mitchell Katz said in a statement Friday. 'By unifying our Hospital-Based Violence Interruption Programs, we are advancing a systemwide model of trauma-informed care that meets victims at their most vulnerable moments and supports them through long-term healing.'
— Two lawmakers are calling on the state Department of Health to allow Medicaid to cover anti-obesity medication, Assemblymembers Karines Reyes and Jeremy Cooney wrote in a letter Thursday.
In their letter to state Health Commissioner James McDonald, Reyes and Cooney said the lack of access to GP-1 medications among low-income communities creates a systemic bias.
'Medicaid recipients represent some of the most vulnerable individuals in our healthcare system, and they deserve the same opportunity to benefit from life-saving treatments that are already transforming health outcomes across the state,' Reyes and Cooney wrote.
ON THE AGENDA:
— Monday at 1 p.m. The City Council hosts an oversight hearing on the state of older New Yorkers' mental health.
— Wednesday at 10:15 a.m. The Early Intervention Coordinating Council will convene.
— Friday at 10:30 a.m. The state Health Equity Council will meet.
MAKING ROUNDS:
— Chip Kahn, president and CEO of the Federation of American Hospitals, announced plans to retire at the end of the year after 24 years leading the trade association.
GOT TIPS? Send story ideas and feedback to Maya Kaufman at mkaufman@politico.com and Katelyn Cordero at kcordero@politico.com.
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What you may have missed
— The 'aid-in-dying' bill is set to pass the Senate in the final days of the legislative session, Sen. Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins confirmed to reporters Thursday.
The decade-old proposal would allow doctors to prescribe euthanizing medication to patients with terminal illnesses. It passed the Assembly by a narrow margin in April. Stewart-Cousins confirmed Thursday that a majority of members in her conference said they will vote in favor of the measure, POLITICO Pro's Katelyn Cordero reports.
ODDS AND ENDS
NOW WE KNOW — Most Americans are worried about the impact of Congress' proposed Medicaid cuts, a new poll shows.
TODAY'S TIP — With whooping cough on the rise, here's what you need to know about staying protected.
STUDY THIS — A new study by researchers at the University of California finds a link between iron deficiency and Crohn's disease.
WHAT WE'RE READING
— CDPAP check-in: where the state's controversial home care consolidation stands. (Crain's New York Business)
— In axing mRNA contract, Trump delivers another blow to U.S. biosecurity, former officials say. (KFF Health News)
Around POLITICO
— Trump's NIH budget plan would make competing for grants much harder, Erin Schumaker reports.
— Via POLITICO's Carmen Paun: Trump doesn't want the WHO's advice. It's giving some anyway.
— The stealth Senate dealmaker who could deliver Trump tax cuts, Benjamin Guggenheim reports.
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