Proposed bill would allow kidney donation compensation

NEW YORK—A bill that would allow states to compensate kidney donors was released this week by Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.).

The Organ Donation Clarification Act of 2008 is supported by groups such as American Society of Transplantation and the American Association of Kidney patients and could pass as soon as November.

The bill is expected to save the government money as increased kidney donation, even with donor compensation, would lower taxpayers' costs. “It's estimated that a $100,000 kidney transplant could save Medicare over $220,000 a patient,” The New York Sun reported this week.

According to the newspaper, the bill would raise the commercial sale of organs fine to $250,000 while in addition “increase the supply of donated organs by clarifying the legality of both government incentives that honor the gift of life and payments associated with the screening, pretransplantation care, and follow-up care expenses incurred by living organ donors," The Sun summarized from the bill.

Payment to the donors would be made by state entities and charities.