Friday
08Dec2006
Baby Steps
Friday, December 8, 2006 at 11:39AM
Pinch me, I must be dreaming. The American Society of Transplant Surgeons, in conjunction with the University of Michigan, are preparing to test the effects of reimbursing organ donors for the financial hardship that they incur during the transplant process.
Here's a thought... if it's okay to pay for travel expenses, is it also okay to pay for lost wages? If it's okay to pay for travel and lost wages, is it okay to pay for future health care and monitoring? If it's okay to pay for travel, lost wages and health care, why can't we just go ahead and compensate the donor for the risk they undertake and reward them for their life-saving gift? I'm sure there's a bioethicist out there somewhere itching to celebrate this incoherence.
The American Society of Transplant Surgeons (ASTS) and the University of Michigan (UM) are pleased to announce the receipt of a major grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The 4-year grant will provide reimbursement of travel expenses and subsistence costs for living organ donors, removing an important financial disincentive to living organ donation.It's rare that I see the transplant bureaucracies pursue common sense initiatives to increase the number of living donors, and I applaud them for their efforts here. According to their press release, they believe that offsetting the costs of travel, lodging and other expenses, they may increase the total number of living donors by 800-1000 per year. Not enough, but it's a positive start.
As part of the ASTS Mission to “increase organ donation”, the UM-ASTS project team will work closely with HRSA to develop an efficient nationwide system to identify potential live organ donors who face financial hardship in meeting travel and subsistence expenses associated with the process of evaluation and undergoing live organ donation procedures.
Here's a thought... if it's okay to pay for travel expenses, is it also okay to pay for lost wages? If it's okay to pay for travel and lost wages, is it okay to pay for future health care and monitoring? If it's okay to pay for travel, lost wages and health care, why can't we just go ahead and compensate the donor for the risk they undertake and reward them for their life-saving gift? I'm sure there's a bioethicist out there somewhere itching to celebrate this incoherence.
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