LANSING — State Rep. Jennifer Wortz has introduced legislation aimed at preventing Michigan health care dollars from supporting forced organ harvesting overseas.
House Bill 5406 would prohibit private insurers and Medicaid from covering organ transplants performed in, or using organs sourced from, countries found to engage in forced organ harvesting, including China.
The bill cites peer-reviewed research documenting evidence that organs have been forcibly taken from living donors in some countries.
Under the proposal, the director of the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services would determine which countries fall under the restriction.
Similar laws have already been enacted in Arizona, Utah, Idaho, Texas, and Tennessee, with legislation pending in Wisconsin.
Wortz said the goal is to ensure Michigan’s health care system is not connected to human rights abuses and to encourage broader national action on the issue.