Governor Signs Kidney Transplant Bill Named for former NBA Player Alonzo Morning (310 hits)
Florida Gov. Charlie Crist has signed a kidney transplant bill named for former Miami Heat star Alonzo Mourning. Mourning, a kidney transplant recipient, was on hand for the signing ceremony Wednesday at a Tallahassee dialysis center. It was a return visit to the capital city for Mourning. He met with Crist and lawmakers in April to seek their support for the legislation (HB 675), also known as the Alonzo Mourning Access to Care Act. The new law will let patients under age 65 with end-stage renal disease obtain Medigap insurance if they already qualify for Medicare. Federal law only applies to those over 65, leaving younger renal disease patients without coverage for their treatments. Medigap will qualify as the second of two coverages needed to get on a waiting list for a kidney.
In 2000, after winning a gold medal in the Sydney Olympics and witnessing the birth of his second child, daughter Myka, Mourning was diagnosed with focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), a debilitating kidney disease that would force him to retire from the league. After receiving a new kidney donated by a long-lost cousin, Mourning made a triumphant return to basketball and won a coveted NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006. Crist is running for Senate in Florida, topping the Republican polls. Rep. Kendrick Meek is the top Democratic candidate.
