Helping connect people with much-needed kidney transplants sadly doesn’t get the news exposure it should nowadays; however, with 40,000 Americans dying annually because of a need around kidney transplants, it’s nice to know that the federal government is taking action.

Located within the White House budget office, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA), is looking into two rules that would enhance kidney availability to those who need it most, with this docket set to be addressed in the coming months once summer is over.

According to Vox, the first rule authorizes the National Living Donor Assistance Center (LCDAC), an organization that currently reimbursed travel expenses for living donors and is funded by the Feds, to also reimburse these individuals around childcare costs, lost wages, and additional expenses; which could significantly increase living donors. Interestingly enough, since Israel passed this regulation last year, rates around live donors have quadrupled.

The other rule works on the opposite end of the spectrum, and deals with organ recovery from individuals who have passed on. With 58 agencies across the United States that hold local monopolies when it comes to the provisions around organs of those who have died, often tens of thousands of organs that can be used, go unused, due to the current evaluation system. A potential new rule could move to eliminate the existing system in place as relates to evaluation, favoring a simple, two-element criteria, which would go a long way to collect as many organs as possible and potentially saving thousands in the process.

These regulatory changes on the horizon are exciting ones, and could potentially change the game as it relates to organ transplants, especially those who suffer from kidney disease. Sadly, stories like this don’t always hit the political forefront, but will impact the health and wellbeing of many across the U.S. if they are rolled out.