By Patty Graham
In 2017, I donated a kidney to a stranger. It wasn’t a dramatic decision, it just made sense: I had something someone else needed more than I did. Since then, I’ve become an advocate for living donation, climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro and spread the word as a mentor that donating a kidney to a stranger is not just possible; it’s life-changing, for the donor and the recipient.
Right now, I’m asking our leaders in Congress — Rep. Joe Neguse as well as Sen. Michael Bennet and Sen. John Hickenlooper — to co-sponsor and champion the End Kidney Deaths Act (H.R. 2687), a bill that will finally give living donors the support they deserve and patients on the waitlist the chance they need.
Last session, Rep. Neguse made us all so proud by being one of the original cosponsors of the End Kidney Deaths Act. His early support showed true vision and compassion. That’s why we’re confused and frankly a bit discouraged that nearly half a year into the current session, he has not yet signed on to cosponsor the bill again. People across Colorado who care deeply about solving the kidney crisis are hoping he’ll step up once more and help lead the way.
In Rep. Neguse’s district, 443 people are currently on dialysis. They die at an average rate of 22%. That means 97 Coloradans in our own communities are lost each year to kidney failure.
If a disaster killed 97 Coloradans, we would act immediately. We would mobilize to save the lives of those still in danger. We need to do the same now for those dying due to the kidney shortage.
The End Kidney Deaths Act is a 10-year pilot program that offers a refundable $10,000 per year tax credit for five years to those who donate a kidney to a stranger, a group known as non-directed donors. These donations are often used to start kidney transplant chains, where one gift can lead to dozens of people receiving kidneys. In the best-known chain, 70 people received transplants because of a single non-directed donor.
The policy will prioritize the people who have been waiting the longest for a kidney, people who otherwise may never receive one.
The need is staggering. More than 90,000 Americans are currently on the kidney transplant waitlist. If the End Kidney Deaths Act does not pass, half will die while waiting. Once the End Kidney Deaths Act passes, we will live in a country where no one dies on the kidney waitlist. Between 2010 and 2021, 100,000 people who qualified to be on that list died waiting.
We cannot rely on deceased donors to solve the problem. Fewer than 1% of deaths occur in a way that allows for organ recovery. Even if the system operated at its absolute best, we would still fall short by tens of thousands of kidneys each year. The only realistic way to close that gap is by encouraging more living donors to step forward, especially those willing to give to strangers.
Over the past two decades, 400 people a year have made that choice. Since 2000, only 191 Coloradans have donated kidneys to strangers. These donors often face weeks of lost income, travel costs and stress.
The End Kidney Deaths Act acknowledges that reality. It says, if you’re willing to do something heroic and lifesaving, the government will step up and support you.
Tax credits are one of the most common tools Congress uses to promote socially beneficial behavior, from installing solar panels to adopting children. Providing compensation to kidney donors is long overdue, and it will save lives and money. Dialysis costs the federal government about $100,000 per person per year. Every successful transplant not only gives someone their life back; it also saves taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Rep. Neguse, Sen. Bennet and Sen. Hickenlooper understand the power of bold policy ideas. They know how to bring people together and get things done. With their leadership, this bill can move forward and change the course of kidney care in America.
There’s no time to wait. Every day, more than 25 people die for lack of a kidney. The End Kidney Deaths Act can change that. I hope our elected officials will rise to the moment once again and help lead the way.
Patty Graham is a registered nurse, educator, non-directed kidney donor, mentor for prospective donors and a Boulder resident.