Honor the Gift Action Days 2023: Capitol Hill Press Conference
On Tuesday, December 5, hundreds of transplant patients, physicians, and health equity advocates rallied on Capitol Hill to ask President Joe Biden and HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra: “Urgently intervene! Stop private contractors from rolling back Medicare coverage for crucial transplant blood tests before it is too late.”
As part of the Honor the Gift Action Days 2023, transplant community leaders convened in the Cannon Caucus Room for a press conference featuring:
U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), co-sponsor of the Living Donor Protection Act]
U.S. Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE-2), whose Chief of Staff had a liver transplant in 2022
Steven Potter, MD, Professor of Surgery, Georgetown University School of Medicine
Kiran Kaur Khush, MD, Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine and Heart Failure Cardiologist at Stanford University
Albert J. Hicks III MD, MPH, Section Chief Advanced Heart Failure & Transplant. University of Maryland School of Medicine
Al B. Sure!, Executive Chairman of the Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition
Paul T. Conway, a 26-year kidney transplant recipient and the American Association of Kidney Patient’s Chair of Policy and Global Affairs
Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the House
Bill Ryan, President & CEO of Transplant Life Foundation
Rev. Al Sharpton, Sr. Advisor, Health Equity in Transplantation Coalition
Additional transplant patients and advocates