GIFT Act of 2025
GIFT Act of 2025
Plain Language Summary
# GIFT Act of 2025 Summary **What the Bill Would Do** The GIFT Act of 2025 would require hospitals that accept Medicare patients to ignore a person's vaccination status when deciding who receives organ transplants. Currently, some transplant programs consider vaccination status as one factor in determining transplant eligibility, along with other medical criteria. This bill would prohibit that practice for hospitals participating in Medicare. **Who It Affects** The bill would directly impact hospitals receiving Medicare funding (the federal health insurance program for seniors and some disabled individuals) and patients waiting for organ transplants.
It could also affect organ transplant programs' existing medical criteria for determining which patients are most likely to survive transplants and benefit from them. **Current Status** The bill was introduced in the 119th Congress by Representative W. Gregory Steube (R-FL) and is currently in committee, meaning it has not yet been debated or voted on by the full House of Representatives. The bill remains in the early stages of the legislative process.
CRS Official Summary
Guaranteeing Individual Fairness in Transplants Act of 2025 or the GIFT Act of 2025This bill requires, as a condition of Medicare participation, hospitals, critical access hospitals, and rural emergency hospitals to disregard an individual's vaccination status when determining which individual should receive an organ transplant.
Latest Action
Referred to the Committee on Ways and Means, and in addition to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.