Tennessee passes legislation to block health insurance coverage for organ transplants with ties to China
Starting from Jan. 1, 2026, health insurance coverage for organ transplant surgeries in Tennessee will no longer extend to procedures conducted in China or involving organs from China. This legislative measure, known as the Tennessee Genomic Security and End Organ Harvesting Act, was unanimously passed earlier by the state legislature to address concerns related to Beijing’s access to Americans’ genomic data and complicity in forced organ harvesting by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
Gov. Bill Lee signed the bill on March 28, making Tennessee the fourth state to take a stand against the CCP’s killing-for-organs scheme.
Effective from Jan. 1, 2026, health insurers in Tennessee will face a fine of $100,000 for each offense if they knowingly fund organ transplant surgeries or post-transplant care in China or involving organs from China through sale or donation.
Within 180 days of the law coming into effect, medical and research facilities must replace genetic sequencers and software sourced from foreign adversarial countries like China, state-owned firms in such nations, or affiliated entities. A $10,000 fine will be levied for each violation or if genetic sequencing data is stored outside the United States.
Under the regulation, Tennessee medical facilities and research institutions must implement “reasonable encryption methods” and cybersecurity best practices to safeguard genome data. Unauthorized remote access to nonpublic genetic data without written approval from the state health commissioner is prohibited. Patients or research subjects can seek up to $5,000 in compensation from entities that misuse their genetic information contrary to this law.
