This idea is an attempt provide incentives for organ donation while avoiding the issue of selling organs from live hosts. Similar to reverse mortgage programs or crop options, I propose that individuals be allowed to register with a medical organization that provides organ transplants and place an "option" or 'reverse mortgate" on their healthy organs. The donor would receive either a lump sum or periodic renewal payment on the option and would transfer ownership of the organs in question to the recepient organization at death. This elimiates any dispute over donation (ownership is settled in advance with consideration) Donors are encouraged to sign up. The medical organizations could even "pay" in services or medical credits for the donor as opposed to cash. The medical organizations could lower their sourcing costs, reduce their carrying costs for patients needing organs and could benefit from higher transaction costs associated with greater frequency of operations. Issues with tracking the donors could be resolved using smartcard technology and attachment to electronic medical records. There would be risk involved over loss or damage to the organs before donation, but the options markets already have products to manage this type of risk.
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I emphatically SUPPORT this idea. I think it is a sound and responsible way to promote the idea of organ transplantation amoungst the population. There would be some interesting questions posed, namely how insurance would handle this scenario- in some instances long term care, to manage the ailment, may be less then the cost of a transplant (especially with elderly patients) but that is not to say that by performing more of the operations the price may go down. Keeping up with the donating party would also be somewhat tough but could be worked out as time passed and experience was gained. I do wonder how you go about finding more support for such a plan? Perhaps you could take your idea to National Kidney Foundation to see if you could get some traction there. Also, pricing of the organs would be in question- how much is a kidney worth and how do you depreciate the organ as the donating party ages? Also, in many instances donating an organ is a very time specific event. If the medial organization that paid for the organ is on the other side of the country, when the providing party dies, who handles the extraction process and who does the organ go to? As with all ideas, you have to start somewhere and I feel this is one worth pursuing.