The reason is there is an organ shortage is because the sale of organs is illegal. It’s price control, with the price set at zero. That means shortage.
The reverse of what De Beers does to diamonds. There is an unending supply of diamonds, but the supply is controlled to keep the price high.
UNOS has a lock on the organ market, no competition, and they control the whole thing without any legal authority.
I don't think that's the main reason for the shortage, though it probably plays a big part. I think it has more to do with the unethical way organ donors are sometimes treated. I would love to donate my organs, after I'm done with them. But I don't want anyone taking them while I'm still using them, or killing me so they can take them. And I think a lot of people agree with that.
Yeah, I mean why give away something for free that you were just going to bury in the ground, anyway? Still, you may be right and I don’t see any reason in principle why people couldn’t be paid for donated organs, blood, or whatever. The medical system, at least, is based on a (quasi-)capitalist model, and everyone else involved makes money (doctors, nurses, hospitals, medical supply companies and labs, etc), so why not the donor?