-- December 16 2016

The National Marrow Donor Program^® (NMDP)/Be The Match^® applauds the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for protecting transplant patients and donors by issuing a final rule confirming that the National Organ Transplant Act prohibits compensation for peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation.

The NMDP/Be The Match—together with many other international health organizations—strongly opposes providing financial incentives to individuals for the act of donating PBSC, marrow or cord blood. We believe that paying donors for the act of donating would create a multitude of problems and will not help more patients receive transplants.

NOTA already allows donors to receive reimbursement for medical, travel, and expenses related to missing work. The National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match and many other organizations already assist donors in this way. Many states have laws that provide leave and/or paid time off for donors, as well.

For these reasons, we applaud the efforts of legislators on the Hill for approving this regulation and, thereby, continuing to protect the best interests of patients and donors.