--- title: HR 540. Congress; adopt legislation requiring Medicare program to provide for lifelong coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for liver, heart, and lung transplant recipients; urge collection: bills id: 2025-2026/hr540 cite_as: HR 540, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.) canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr540 md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr540.md text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr540/text source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71231 date: 2025-03-11 status: introduced corpus_version: bills-2026-09-11 license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice. up: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026.md previous: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr539.md next: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr541.md index: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/index.md omitted: votes and history omitted_chars: 129 omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr540.md?full=1 bill_number: HR 540 session: 2025-2026 Regular Session session_slug: 2025-2026 chamber: House bill_type: resolution status_date: 2025-03-06 last_action: House Second Readers sponsors: - Carl Gilliard - Lydia Glaize - Karen Lupton - Sharon Henderson text_version: Introduced has_text: true legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HR540/2025 upstream_id: 1994209 summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5 topic_tags: - Medicare - organ transplants - healthcare policy - prescription drug coverage - federal advocacy --- # HR 540. Congress; adopt legislation requiring Medicare program to provide for lifelong coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for liver, heart, and lung transplant recipients; urge ## Text 25 LC 57 0262 House Resolution 540 By: Representatives Gilliard of the 162 nd, Glaize of the 67 th, Lupton of the 83 rd, and Henderson of the 113th A RESOLUTION Urging the Congress of the United States to adopt legislation requiring the Medicare program1 to provide for lifelong coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for liver, heart, and lung 2 transplant recipients; and for other purposes.3 WHEREAS, over 20,000 kidney transplants are performed annually in the United States,4 along with approximately 9,000 liver transplants, 3,500 heart t ransplants, and 2,500 lung5 transplants, saving lives and significantly reducing healthcare costs associated with chronic6 diseases; and7 WHEREAS, absent eligible kidney transplant recipients, Medicare coverage of8 immunosuppressive drugs is limited to 36 months following a tr ansplant, leaving many9 recipients without access to critical medications necessary to sustain their transplanted10 organs, increasing their risk of organ rejection, costly hospitalizations, and a return to dialysis11 treatment; and12 WHEREAS, annually, dialysis treatment costs Medicare approximat ely $90,000.00 per13 patient, while immunosuppressive medications only cost between $10,000.00 and $15,000.0014 per patient, demonstrating the financial efficiency of providin g comprehensive lifelong15 immunosuppressive medication coverage; and16 H. R. 540 - 1 - 25 LC 57 0262 WHEREAS, lifelong Medicare coverage for organ transplant recipi ents improves health17 outcomes, supports workforce reintegration, reduces healthcare disparities, and enhances the18 emotional and psychological well-being of recipients; and19 WHEREAS, such lifelong Medicare coverage for organ transplant recipients promotes equity20 by addressing healthcare disparities, particularly in underserved and rural communities, while21 aligning with national healthcare goals to ensure accessible, s ustainable, and high-quality22 care for all patients.23 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF24 GEORGIA that the members of this body urge the Congress of the United States to adopt25 legislation requiring the Medicare program to provide for lifel ong coverage of26 immunosuppressive drugs for liver, heart, and lung transplant recipients in the same manner27 as for kidney transplant recipients.28 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Georgia supports initiatives that e xpand access to29 post-transplant care, reduce healthcare costs, and promote equi ty in the healthcare system30 through federal and state policies.31 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized32 and directed to transmit appropriate copies of this resolution to the President of the United33 States, the Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, the President of the United34 States Senate, and the members of the Georgia Congressional delegation.35 H. R. 540 - 2 - ## Summaries written by Georgia Commons The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the resolution. Quote the text, not the summary. A Georgia House resolution urges Congress to make Medicare cover immunosuppressive drugs for life for liver, heart, and lung transplant recipients, the same way it already does for kidney transplant recipients. ### Plain-language summary This resolution does not change Georgia law or federal law itself. It is a formal statement from the Georgia House of Representatives calling on the U.S. Congress to pass legislation extending lifelong Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs, the medications transplant patients need to keep their bodies from rejecting a new organ, to recipients of liver, heart, and lung transplants. The resolution notes that Medicare already limits coverage of these drugs to 36 months after a transplant for most kidney recipients, and argues that similar limits for other organ recipients risk organ rejection, costly hospitalizations, and a return to treatments like dialysis. It cites cost comparisons between dialysis and immunosuppressive medication, and directs the Clerk of the House to send copies of the resolution to the President, the leaders of the U.S. House and Senate, and Georgia's congressional delegation. ### What it does - Formally urges the U.S. Congress to pass legislation requiring Medicare to cover immunosuppressive drugs for life for liver, heart, and lung transplant recipients. - States that Georgia supports federal and state initiatives that expand post-transplant care access, lower healthcare costs, and promote equity in healthcare. - Directs the Clerk of the House of Representatives to send copies of the resolution to the President, the Speaker of the U.S. House, the President of the U.S. Senate, and Georgia's congressional delegation. - Does not itself change any Georgia or federal law, since it is a resolution expressing the General Assembly's position rather than a bill. ### Who it affects Liver, heart, and lung transplant recipients covered by Medicare, along with their doctors and transplant programs. It also speaks to members of Congress and the Georgia congressional delegation, who are the resolution's intended audience. ### Why it matters If Congress acted on this request, transplant patients could keep receiving Medicare-covered anti-rejection drugs indefinitely instead of losing coverage after a set period, potentially avoiding organ rejection, hospitalization, or a return to treatments like dialysis. The resolution itself has no legal effect until Congress acts. ### Key provisions - First resolving clause: urges Congress to require lifelong Medicare coverage of immunosuppressive drugs for liver, heart, and lung transplant recipients, matching existing coverage for kidney recipients. - Second resolving clause: states Georgia's support for initiatives expanding post-transplant care access and reducing healthcare costs and disparities. - Third resolving clause: directs the Clerk of the House to transmit copies of the resolution to federal officials and Georgia's congressional delegation. - Preamble notes Medicare currently limits immunosuppressive drug coverage to 36 months after transplant for most kidney recipients, and cites cost estimates of about $90,000 annually for dialysis versus $10,000 to $15,000 for immunosuppressive medications. ## Status - Status: Introduced (2025-03-06) - Last action: House Second Readers (2025-03-11) - Sponsors: Carl Gilliard, Lydia Glaize, Karen Lupton, Sharon Henderson - Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/71231 > The history, votes, and amendments (129 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hr540.md?full=1