Urges U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to reconsider implementation of new rules concerning organ procurement organizations.

This New Jersey Senate resolution (SR 62) urges the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Medicare/Medicaid Services to reconsider a federal rule requiring organ procurement organizations (OPOs) to compete for service areas and face potential decertification based on performance metrics. The rule, set to fully implement in 2022, would replace current outcome measures and force OPOs to bid annually for their geographic service areas (DSAs), potentially reducing the number of OPOs. It directly affects the 57 OPOs nationwide, which manage organ donation and transplantation services across the U.S., and could disrupt access to transplants, particularly for minority patients who already face significant disparities in receiving organs. The resolution argues the rule risks reducing organ procurement by increasing uncertainty for OPOs and expanding service areas, without addressing systemic barriers that contribute to racial inequities in transplantation.