Rep. Yuri Bulk Champions Living Donor Protection Act To Shield Organ Donors From Insurance Gaps
USA: Representative Yuri Bulk of District 32 in Rapid City is driving a push to strengthen protections for living donors in South Dakota by introducing the Living Donor Protection Act, aiming to remove insurance barriers that can follow organ donation. The state currently ranks poorly on living donor protections, a reality officials and advocacy groups say undermines transplant access—especially for kidney transplantation, which most living donors provide.
The legislation would explicitly prohibit insurers from treating complications related to organ donation as pre-existing conditions, ensuring medical consequences of donation are covered and do not jeopardize future coverage. That legal clarity is intended to give prospective donors confidence that choosing to give a kidney or other tissue will not leave them financially vulnerable if they experience post-donation issues. The proposal seeks to codify protections that many insurers already follow in practice, translating voluntary policies into enforceable state law.
Backers include a regional kidney association that has been actively promoting the bill, and Representative Bulk says most insurance companies indicated support for the concept. Advocates also note momentum at the federal level for living donor safeguards, but they emphasize the importance of a state statute to lock in rights locally and to signal a strong pro-transplantation policy environment in South Dakota.
Supporters argue the measure could increase willingness to serve as living donors, reduce administrative uncertainty, and bolster kidney transplant rates by removing an avoidable deterrent. Lawmakers in Pierre are being urged to act so the state’s legal framework matches evolving standards for donor protection and to help maintain a safe, sustainable path for transplantation that respects and safeguards those who give the gift of life.
Video originally published on 2026-02-07 13:21:04
