Entries by ATF Staff

H.R. 5534 Passed: Lifetime Medicare Coverage of Immunosuppressant for Kidney Recipients

Kidney transplant recipients may no longer have to choose between paying for their immunosuppressant medications or paying their bills thanks to new legislation passed by US Congress.

The Comprehensive Immunosuppressive Drug Coverage for Kidney Transplant Patients Act of 2020 (H.R. 5534), passed in December 2020, will take effect on January 1st, 2023.  This bill indefinitely extends Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for kidney transplant recipients for individuals who do not have other coverage. Under current law, Medicare coverage is limited to 36 months following a transplant. Individuals under 65 years of age will have to pay a premium during their first year of coverage.

“Right now, too many patients and their families worry about whether they can afford the treatment they need to keep their transplanted kidney, today we took an important step towards alleviating that burden.”

Representative Ron Kind

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services indicates that this legislation will lead to vast Medicare savings.

For more information on H.R. 5534, visit the Congress Website

COVID-19 Vaccine & The Transplant Community Webinar


Click Here to View Webinar!

On January 26th, the COVID-19 Transplant Community Coalition hosted the COVID-19 Vaccine & The Transplant Community Webcast. The webinar tackled the donation and transplantation community's most pressing questions from safety and efficacy in transplant recipients to distribution and misinformation.

Our panel of leading experts included representation from the CDC along with a practicing transplant surgeon and patient advocate:

  • Leilani Graham, heart transplant recipient, patient advocate, healthcare consultant
  • Brian Lima, MD, FACS, Director of Heart Transplantation Surgery, North Shore University Hospital
  • Janell Routh, MD, MHS, Co-Deputy, Implementation Unit, CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Task Force
  • Steve Adubato, PhD (Moderator), Emmy Award-winning Anchor, Author, "Lessons in Leadership"

We would like to thank all who participated!

Team Transplant in 2020

We are a community of living donors, transplant recipients, and supporters raising awareness and funds to support those going through the transplant journey.  Team Transplant […]

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Trivia For Life: Virtual Experience

2020 brought with it new challenges for everyone, including the American Transplant Foundation. We wanted to engage with our community, while also raising much needed […]

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Give Back this Holiday Season at our Tree of Life

This December, to make the holidays a little brighter for transplant patients who are facing extreme financial hardship, American Transplant Foundation started the Tree of Life initiative virtually.

Read patients' stories here to learn how they could use assistance during the holidays to buy presents for their loved ones, afford groceries for a holiday meal, or enjoy a rare evening out. 

We are pleased to offer this opportunity for anyone to help brighten the holidays for a patient's family. All donations received will bring holiday cheer and hope.

If you could like to help, you can make a donation of $20-$500, which we will give to patients.

We believe that everyone should feel loved and appreciated during one of the most wonderful times of the year. Please help us spread joy and light this holiday season by adopting one of the many families featured on our Tree of Life. 

How to 'Adopt' a Patient or Family

1. Please view the Patient Stories below. 

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2. Donate whatever amount you wish.


Donate Here

3. We'll take care of the rest! 

Questions? Email us at support@americantransplantfoundation.org

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!

Steve Crider – Transplant Warrior

An invitation to participate in my 12th Annual 25-mile bike ride, October 7th for a foundation close to my family’s heart and one that has […]

Scott LaPoint – Transplant Warrior

My brother, Scott, is at it again, trying to raise needed monies for other people undergoing a needed organ transplant.  In the three years since […]

Interning at ATF | My Experience

Communication and Event Management Intern Sheila Alizadeh As a second-year biology undergraduate student, you are always told to spend your summers in labs or hospitals […]

Organ Donation Clarification Act of 2020

Last year, the Organ Donation Clarification Act was proposed. This act aims to solve the kidney wait list crisis by removing barriers which donors face under current laws and by creating new paths for increasing donation. This year, on July 27th, Congressman Matt Cartwright will reintroduce this act to Congress in hopes of helping those in need of transplants across the country.

The Organ Donor Clarification Act would:

  1. Clarify that certain reimbursements are not valuable consideration but are reimbursements for expenses a donor incurs
  2. Allow government-run pilot programs to test the effect of providing non-cash benefits to promote organ donation

To learn more about the act, click the box below for an official summary.


Click here to read more!

We encourage our lovely foundation members to share this act with your local Congress members, family, and friends. By increasing support for the Organ Donor Clarification Act, the chances of helping patients in need of transplants across the country will greatly improve.

Transplant Recipients and COVID-19

Heightened health concerns are forefront in the news due to the current Covid-19 pandemic. This is not new to those of us blessed with second […]