Officials at the United States Department of Health and Human Services said last month they will seek to amend the organ transplant model to prioritize people of certain racial identities.

The proposed organ model “aims to increase access to kidney transplants for all people living with end-stage renal disease” as well as “reduce disparities among individuals undergoing the process to receive a kidney transplant.” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra specifically mentioned assisting black patients in a press release about the program.

“The organ transplant industry, like every other part of society, is not immune to racial inequities,” Becerra asserted. “Black Americans disproportionately struggle with life-threatening kidney disease, yet they receive a smaller percentage of kidney transplants.”

The pilot program for the new transplant system will involve one-third of American transplant hospitals receiving points for kidney transplants. The hospitals will earn 20% more points for transplanting a kidney into a low-income patient relative to other patients, then receive monetary awards or penalties at the end of the year on the basis of how many points they earn.

Becerra added that the White House is “taking concrete steps to remove racial bias when calculating wait times and rooting out profiteering and inequity in the transplant process.”

President Joe Biden has faced backlash over efforts from his administration to advance purported racial equity, a priority he endorsed with an executive order during his first year in office. Officials at the United States Department of Agriculture, for instance, ran loan forgiveness and disaster relief programs which disallowed white farmers from applying for the benefits.