Rep. Bacon is Right to Support the End Kidney Deaths Act. Others Should Join Him.' By Sue Venteicher Representative Don Bacon is doing something brave and urgently needed: he is standing up for kidney patients across Nebraska and the country by cosponsoring the End Kidney Deaths Act (H.R. 2687). As someone who worked in healthcare for 30 years, who became a living kidney donor, and who watched a dear friend’s son die waiting for a transplant, I am profoundly grateful.

Now I am asking the rest of our congressional delegation, Representatives Flood and Smith, and Senators Fischer and Ricketts, to do the same. Please support this bill and help save lives.

The End Kidney Deaths Act is a ten-year pilot program that provides a refundable tax credit to Americans who donate a kidney to a stranger. It is designed to remove the financial burdens that keep many people from donating, including lost wages and travel costs. This is not about paying people for organs. It is about supporting those who are already willing to save a life but are unable to do so because of financial hardship.

Between 2010 and 2021, 100,000 Americans died waiting for a kidney. Every day, roughly two dozen more die. When someone receives a transplant, they do not just gain more years; they gain their life back. Transplant patients are often able to return to work, care for their families, and live without the constant exhaustion and pain of dialysis.

Representative Bacon understands this personally. His mother suffered from kidney failure. He saw the toll dialysis took on her. He also served our country for nearly 30 years in the Air Force, rising to the rank of Brigadier General. His leadership in the military and now in Congress reflects a lifelong commitment to protecting and preserving life. Supporting this bill is an extension of that service.

When I donated my kidney, I did not know the person who would receive it. But my kidney launched an eighteen person donation chain that made it possible for 9 people in Nebraska to receive kidney transplants. The people that were part of the kidney chain lived throughout Nebraska, from Omaha, Bennett, Cozad, and Gering with other towns in between. This is important because rural kidney patients face significant barriers to accessing timely and appropriate healthcare. These challenges can lead to delayed diagnosis, less optimal treatment, and increased mortality rates. The sad truth is that I knew another young man, Michael, who did not survive. He was on dialysis in his college dorm room every night. He was a wonderful young man full of hope and strength. He died because of kidney disease at 20 years old.

The End Kidney Deaths Act is projected to help up to 100,000 Americans receive life saving transplants and save up to $37 billion in taxpayer money. Dialysis costs Medicare about $100,000 per patient per year. A transplant is not only more effective; it is dramatically cheaper over time.

Living kidney donors, like me, go through rigorous screening. We live long, healthy lives, and we donate not for praise, but because we believe life is worth protecting. This legislation would help many more people step forward.

The American Medical Association supports testing donor compensation. So do the majority of transplant surgeons surveyed. And so do most voters.

Representative Bacon is leading with compassion and courage. I hope the rest of Nebraska’s leaders will follow. Kidney patients do not have time to wait.

Please cosponsor the End Kidney Deaths Act.

Sue Venteicher, Omaha