Speaking of Obamacare and organ donation…
According to an article by Dr. Sally Satel in The Wall Street Journal last month, Obamacare has actually added a new twist to this whole netherworld.
Now a financial incentive has been added to the “altruistic” organ transplant industry.
It is now legal to compensate bone-marrow donors.
This issue has been an ongoing controversy for several years. Previously, bone marrow fell under the federal ban prohibiting compensation for organ donation. But families of patients in need of bone marrow transplants hired a public-interest law firm called the Institute for Justice to challenge that ruling. And last December, they won their case.
But, in an interesting twist, the biggest opponent to incentivized donation is the very organization that many would assume might be thrilled about it—the National Bone Marrow Donor Program.
According to a representative from the organization, “We oppose reimbursing donors. Is that what we want people to be motivated by?”
Taking that stance one step further, the National Bone Marrow Donor Program has vowed not to use donors who have accepted or been promised any sort of compensation.
Finally—a voice of reason in this burgeoning, ethically challenged “industry.” We can only hope there are others out there, too.