[KarlInOhio]

In 1984, Congress passed The National Organ Transplant Act, making it illegal to receive money or anything of value in exchange for an organ.

So everyone along the way, from the hospital, doctor and nurses removing the organ from the donor, to the transport company to the hospital, doctors and nurses attaching the organ to the recipient can make stacks of cash from the transplant. Everyone except for the owner of the organ (or his heirs). Never made any sense to me.

[TheThirdRuffian]

“So everyone along the way, from the hospital, doctor and nurses removing the organ from the donor, to the transport company to the hospital, doctors and nurses attaching the organ to the recipient can make stacks of cash from the transplant. Everyone except for the owner of the organ (or his heirs). Never made any sense to me.”

I agree. I understand the desire to avoid a bidding war by desperate people, but the easy solution is to state that there will be a fixed fee, indexed to inflation for organs donated.

$25k for a kidney, heart, whatever.
$10 for iris.

The market would suddenly be full -— especially kidneys and other organs where living people can make deals.