Over the past years, it was listed that more than 100,000 Americans are said to need organ transplants. There has been a consistent growing demand for internal organs such as the heart, the kidneys and the lungs for which the supply is lesser than the demands. Eighty percent of those who are in need for organ transplants demand kidneys the most because of the increasing cases of diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. To have higher chances of recovering these required organs, individual States in the US have made it easier for the people to make themselves donors whether using online platforms or by renewing their driver’s licenses. Also, medical facilities such as hospitals have been moving towards the increasing of the number of families who would allow a relative’s organs to be donated after death. However, because of the growing demand, some advocates of the internal body part donation scene are currently proposing to have transplants that could allow for financial compensation; that of which is now viewed as an illegal practice in the United States (Martel, CQ Researcher).
Because of the lack of organ donors, doctors and scientists alike are already exploring the possibilities of bioengineering which may eventually introduce the idea of allowing surgeons to create the needed organs having based on the patient’s stem cells. However, for the cases of the kidneys and the lungs, this may be a far-flung idea that is seen to be decades away from being accomplished. One of the main reasons that there has been a disproportionate demand and supply for organs is because of the heavily detailed guidelines created for the process of organ transplantation. As such, organ matching is yet to be made before anything else. This process makes it all the more difficult to find the proper organ donors for the patients in need. According to the UNOS website, patients are added to the waiting list and could get a donation within the day or years.
The facts mentioned above is supported by Martel in her study through the CQ Researcher; wherein she states that the demand and waiting list for those who are in need of kidneys have nearly doubled since the year 2000. To alleviate these growing needs, proposals to expand the post-death donations of organs have been made to proportion finally the supply and demand for organs. In one idea, the contract for becoming a donor would involve a lump-sum payment to the donor’s whole estate if such organs are recovered post-death. This lump sum could come from the Department of Health and Human Services as part of the compensation package for potential donors. However, despite the attractive package that is currently proposed, many still argue that payments such as the lump sum idea could dispel the fears of having an inadequate care post-death. Despite this idea for having compensations for the post-death organ donations, it is still found to be insufficient since only 1 to 2 percent of deaths from each year produces usable organs which move to having these financial rewards to favoring the living donors which is in fact proven to last longer.
Currently, only the out-of-pocket expenses are covered for the living donors who are allowable under the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA). However, since the supplies for organs could still not meet the demand, many economists propose to have regulated cash payments for these organs which are still found to be illegal in the United States. Those who oppose this state that this idea only targets the poor and would exploit the members of the lower socioeconomic class (Mantel, CQ Researcher). Adding to this fact would be the idea that these people could misrepresent their current health conditions which may result in an inadequate organ donation quality. Also, having attracted the poor would lead to negative benefits for these people given the fact that they do not have the capacity to pay for the post-transplant medications. It is a reality that the current Medicare only pays for only three years of immunosuppressive medications for kidney donors and what comes after for private insurance organizations would have limitations.
Overall, it is well understood that there are heavy demands at present for the different vital organs most especially with the kidney and the heart. Having more and more obese patients could mean a double in the number of those in waiting list. However, despite the present situation in the organ transplant scene, there are still many ways to be used to meet the current demands for organs. Current technological advancements could help in reducing those in waiting lists since technology today moves fast in that there is a new development each day. Although seen as an event in the distant future, it could well be an alternative instead of compensating the people for their organs.
Works Cited
Mantel, Barbara. "Organ Donations: CQR." CQ Researcher by CQ Press. Sage Publishing, 15 Apr. 2011. Web. 17 Apr. 2016. <www.bpcc.edu>.
United Network for Organ Sharing. "Frequently Asked Questions | UNOS." Home | UNOS. United Network for Organ Sharing, 2015. Web. 17 Apr. 2016. <www.unos.org>.
