Save a Life

To illustrate the vast amount of money required, the shortest stay from a kidney transplant based on the data from 2017, multiplied by the cost of mechanical ventilation is $72,319.80. The number is strictly the room and breathing support, not including the drug cost, additional tools and equipment, and tests. Being a donor is a long process and is rewarding in the end for both parties, although not always the recipient since they are responsible for all costs.“Costs include: insurance deductibles, insurance co-pays, pre-transplant evaluation and testing, fees for surgeons, physicians, radiologists, anesthesiologists and lab tests, fees for the recovery of the organ from the donor, surgery, follow-up care and testing, additional hospital stays for complications, anti-rejection and other drugs, which can easily exceed $2,500 per month and rehabilitation” (“Costs”). All of these factors add up to a tremendous amount of money that many Americans do not possess… Don’t you think the hospital should give patients a break from worrying about payment, especially after the tremendous amount of stress put on the body with surgery, and make these life-saving transplants free?

Most patients expect the expensive process to be over by now, but what they are unaware of is the thousands of dollars that will be spent every month on anti-rejection medication. Organ donation is such a delicate procedure with the potential for many complications, resulting in the patient losing their new organ. The preventive measures doctors take to ensure the new organs stay healthy is giving the recipient medications that are loaded with all the supplements, vitamins, and minerals to keep the body functioning properly. Some think the price would be like a regular prescription, typically under $100, “however, long term oral maintenance immunosuppression and other prescription medications can cost patients upwards of $2,500 per month depending on various factors including the number of prescription medications, insurance coverage, with the average annual cost of medications in the United States reported between $10,000 and $14,000 per patient” (James and Mannon). A minimum of $2,500 a month means $30,000 annually on medication. Using Medicare as an example, the company only pays for a designated amount of time. Tanya Saffer, the vice president of health policy for the National Kidney Foundation says, “the program halts payment for anti-rejection drugs after 36 months. That leaves many patients facing sudden bills.” The big question is what happens when the patient cannot afford the drugs after insurance no longer covers it? Unfortunately, it means they could lose the organ, restarting the transplant process from the beginning, acquiring all types of bills once again. Although, if the price of drugs was free or even reduced, many more people would have a better chance of survival.

On the other hand, if organ transplants were free, the hospitals would not be able to afford the cost of every patient. Hospitals make money off their patients and the procedures these patients acquire. Without the incoming source of money, hospitals would not be able to pay their doctors, resulting in doctors transferring to another facility with better pay. In the long run, the decline of healthcare can affect the patients, creating bad publicity. Although, if organ transplants were free, hospitals could be paid by the government. Samantha Liss writing for Healthcare Drive says, “the nation’s largest for-profit hospital chains have received about $2.2 billion, money they don’t have to pay back”. If these hospitals are receiving free money from the government, the most critical patient’s costs should be completely covered. Pro Bono surgeries would attract more business to hospitals overall increasing the income from other medical practices, despite the loss from extraordinary, expensive surgeries.

Now knowing the enormous amount of money it costs a patient to save their life through an organ transplant, have you changed your mind yet? If organ donation and transplant surgeries were free without the stress of surgeries, ICU bills, and anti-rejection medications costs, more people may consider organ donation which could potentially save hundreds of lives. Saving a life is a beautiful thing and should be done more often. Please sign up today and save a life one day, give your life additional meaning beyond your everyday experiences that some may not be able to have.