I don’t think his brother is going to give up part of his liver to a stranger so the whole “someone more deserving will get this liver” is nonsense in this case.
My point was more to the standard practice of withholding transplant organs because of all sorts of medical reasons. The health of the recipient is always first consideration, but there are many hoops that have to be gone through typically. All of the organs are tested for their ability to function, including lungs, digestive tract, brain, dental, etc., after which you are assigned a MELD score. A high score determines the place on the UNOS Transplant list, and an assessment of financial ability to pay for it (insurance, out of pocket, etc.) It is admirable that the brother offered a partial liver, but there are many more considerations than that. Insurance was made to be the villain here, and your point is well taken. However, the reporter did not offer a full description of the process and made the story about insurance, which is was not. I am hopeful that it worked out, but what you see on TV is not really how it works. It is presented as a near 100% certainty of saving ones life, but it is not that simple.