A local lawmaker is leading the push in Lansing to prevent Michigan funds from supporting human rights abuses overseas. State Representative Jennifer Wortz has introduced a bill that would prohibit Medicaid and private insurers from paying for organ transplants in countries that engage in forced organ harvesting.
According to a statement from Michigan House Republicans, the American Journal of Transplantation found evidence that organ removal has been used as a form of execution in China.
If the bill becomes law, insurance companies and Medicaid would be barred from covering transplants using organs from countries identified as participating in forced organ harvesting.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services would decide which countries are involved.
Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Texas, and Tennessee already have similar laws. Legislation is also pending in Wisconsin.
