Weekly Healthcare Policy Round-Up

In this week’s Health Policy Round-Up, ALF shares the most up to date news happening in Washington DC.

• Earlier this year, proposed changes to the childhood immunization schedule raised concerns about hepatitis B vaccination guidance. This week, a federal judge paused those changes, maintaining current recommendations while the case proceeds. For the liver community, this is especially important. The hepatitis B vaccine is a critical tool in preventing chronic liver disease and liver cancer, particularly when given at birth or in early childhood. Protecting hepatitis B vaccination remains essential to reducing the long-term burden of liver disease. ALF will continue to closely monitor these developments.
• This week, Congresswomen Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Carol Miller (R-WV), and Kim Schrier, MD (D-WA) reintroduced bipartisan legislation to provide more support to living organ donors to address the rising costs of donation. The Expanding Support for Living Donors Act would help remove financial barriers that prevent many people from donating life-saving organs. The bill would reauthorize the Living Organ Donation Reimbursement Program through 2037, increase the maximum reimbursement amount to $10,000 (adjusting for inflation), double the income eligibility to about $100,000 a year, and would require an annual report on the program.