As a kidney transplant tecipient, I urge everyone to ask the Connecticut Senate to follow the lead of Connecticut’s House and pass HB6387, the Living Donor Protection Act, which will provide comprehensive care for our Kidney Patients. This Act will:

• Eliminate discrimination against living donors in the procurement of life, disability, and long-term care insurance. Insurance companies cannot drop a living donor, change their premiums, or refuse coverage based on their status as a living kidney donor.

• Develop health education programs to increase awareness of chronic kidney disease amongst primary care physicians and the citizens of Connecticut.

• Support transplantation as the preferred treatment for chronic kidney disease (my nephrologists never suggested transplantation to me – it was the nurses whispering in my ear to encourage me to seek a transplant!)

• Encourage the development of early detection and prevention of chronic kidney disease in the primary care setting.

• Promote health equity in the detection and treatment of chronic kidney disease.

• Adopt an “Opt-Out Donor Registry” for Connecticut, replacing the current “Opt-In” system.

Let us support the kidney patients of Connecticut!

Armand Halter

National Kidney Foundation, advocate

Ledyard