Spare Parts for the Human Body

Is Life Priceless?

Agenda
k Organ Transplants
k k k k k k k k k k UNOS Supply and Demand in the Organ Market Current Laws Dealing with Organ Transplants Problems with our Current Plan Suggestions for Altering the Current Process Pennsylvanias Plan Moral Considerations Economic Considerations Will Supply Meet Demand? Who Will Pay?

Organ Transplants
kPeople need donated organs to replace their own failing ones k20,000 life saving transplants are performed each year

UNOS
 United Network for Organ Sharing  Uses education, technology and policy development to advance organ availability and transplantation  Manage the national transplant waiting list Match donors to recipients 24 hours a day

Supply and Demand in the Organ Market

kHuman organs are the nations scarcest medical resource kThere is a huge difference between the supply of useable organs and the demand for organ to be transplanted

Supply and Demand of Organs

70000 60000 50000 40000 30000 20000 10000 0 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 Demand Supply

Current Laws about Organs

 National Organ Transplant Act Organ Procurement and Transplantation Act Current system for sharing organs
 The US is divided into 63 areas comprising 11 regions

Problems with our Current Plan

 Not enough organs to satisfy the demand  States work hard to get people to donate but they want the organs to remain in their state  Regions are disorganized
 People die waiting for transplants  Organs die or become useless

Suggestions for Altering the Current Process

 Pennsylvanias Plan  New regions better efficiency
 Airports

Pennsylvanias Plan
 $300.00 Stipend  Test run in sending money directly to funeral homes  Problems with this plan
 Possibly violates the National Organ Transplant Act  Definitely violates some peoples moral and ethical values

Moral Considerations
 Is life priceless?  What will opening this market bring in the future?
 Poor families in need of money might be pressured to make life-altering decisions  If this program goes too far living people might be able to sell their own organs (kidneys, etc.)

Economic Considerations
 This plan creates an open market for death  In a free market, the price is always negotiable
 Will states try to top each other with higher prices?

 Could a for-profit transplant center be established?

Supply Meets Demand?

 How much would it cost for the supply to meet the demand?
Difference between supply & demand - 54,300 54,300 * 500.00 = 27,150,000.00

If every donating family were paid $500.00, would cost $27,150,000.00

Who Will Pay?

 The government?  The person receiving the organ?
 The wealthy will have an unfair advantage over the poor

 Private Insurance Companies?

 This possibility would make health insurance very expensive for all

Conclusion
 Organ Transplant program is a national priority  Much more work is needed to make the currently low supply of organs meet the quickly rising demand  Paying people for organs would help, but it is a moral and economic controversy Nobel Prize Winning Economist Gary Beckers Plan

Works Cited
Clinton, senators agree on organ-transplant system. The Providence Journal 13 April 2000, sec. A:5 Freyer, Felice J. Fear that fewer will donate organs follow revelation of tissue sales. The Providence Journal 18 April 2000, sec. B:1 1. Loren Zimmermann 2. A question from a website visitor 3. Online 4. Available E-mail: larry-mcmanus-md-gift-of-life@worldnet.net 5. 3/27/2000 The Gift of Life Trust Fund. 25 May 2000: n.pag. On-line. Internet. 1 June 2000. Available www.giftoflife-sc.org/ United Network for Organ Sharing. 4 Jun. 2000: n-pag. On-line. Internet. 5 Jun. 2000. Available www.UNOS.org