A bill that the House of Representatives' Commerce Committee has approved could shelve plans by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to broaden geographic access to donated organs.
The committee passed the bill, "Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network Amendments of 1999" (H.R. 2418), on October 13, and it is expected to gain quick approval from the House but probably won't be considered by the Senate this year, the Associated Press reported on October 13. The bill would reauthorize the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984. It also would take away most of the government's authority over the United Network for Organ Sharing, giving UNOS a share of independence.
Government oversight of the transplant system has been hotly debated for the past year and a half — since HHS announced its intention to implement a regulation that would place medical need ahead of geography when it comes to the allocation of organs. The regulation has been scheduled for implementation next week, but the new bill could take away the authority of HHS over such issues. In light of the furor that arose last year over the proposed regulation, Congress asked the Institute of Medicine to study the issue and, ironically, the IOM concluded in July that stronger government oversight is needed over the transplant system. The Clinton administration is reportedly strongly opposed to the new bill, and HHS Secretary Donna Shalala is poised to recommend that President Clinton veto it if it passes Congress.
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