Medicare funds kidney transplant training to expand living donation access

What it does

This bill creates an 8-year Medicare demonstration program that pays hospitals to train staff (called 'facilitators') to help Medicare patients with end-stage renal disease identify living kidney donors and navigate the donation process. Medicare will reimburse hospitals for the reasonable costs of running these training programs, and the Secretary of Health and Human Services will report on whether the program increases living kidney donations, transplants, and cost savings to Medicare.

Why we flagged it

The bill establishes a time-limited, evidence-gathering pilot program to improve access to living kidney transplants for Medicare beneficiaries by funding facilitator training. It is a straightforward public-health intervention with built-in evaluation and sunset provisions.

What the text implies

• The bill does not specify how hospitals will be selected or whether all eligible hospitals can participate, potentially creating unequal access to facilitator training across regions.
• The program's success depends on voluntary living donation, which may not increase significantly despite training; if donation rates do not rise, the program may be discontinued after 8 years, leaving trained facilitators without ongoing funding.
• The Secretary's broad waiver authority (paragraph 4) could allow modifications to Medicare rules that extend beyond the stated purpose of the demonstration, though the text does not specify which rules might be waived.
• The bill does not address potential liability or ethical concerns if facilitators are perceived as pressuring patients to seek donors, though the training program's content is not detailed.

Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.

Who it affects

The bill expands access to living kidney transplants for Medicare beneficiaries by funding training that helps patients find donors—a procedure that extends life and reduces dependence on dialysis. The program is time-limited, evidence-based (with mandatory reporting), and creates no new restrictions on patient rights or remedies.

Who stands to gain

• hospitals performing kidney transplants
• dialysis providers (indirectly, through reduced patient volume if transplants increase)

Named in the bill

Medicare, Social Security Act, Secretary of Health and Human Services, eligible hospitals, living kidney donors, end-stage renal disease patients, House Committee on Ways and Means, House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Senate Committee on Finance

Where it stands

3 cosponsors: 3 Democrats.

• Feb 13, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 13, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on Ways and Means and House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Ways and Means, for a…”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.