Washington Post Editorial: Stop penalizing organ donors

[Clark]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/stop-penalizing-organ-donors/2016/06/15/975017b2-3266-11e6-8758-d58e76e11b12_story.html

Editorial: Stop penalizing organ donors

…Then there’s the question of how to encourage living donors without exploiting them. Many say monetary compensation, banned in 1984 under the National Organ Transplant Act, could lead to a “marketplace” for organs and drive the poorest among us to donate in desperation — maybe even concealing their medical histories.

But if increasing incentives to donate poses problems, what about at least decreasing disincentives? For the majority of donors today, giving a kidney ends up costing more than just the organ — whether it’s the wages lost during time off from work, the price of transportation to doctor’s appointments or the risk of higher insurance premiums down the road. Legislation is pending in Congress that would offer donors protection against insurance discrimination and require that their jobs grant them unpaid leave. Another bill proposes allowing pilot programs that reward donation. It’s hard to draw the line between expense-covering and compensation — but donation should be cost-neutral at a minimum.