Organ donation saves lives. Living donors take a big risk when they donate one of their kidneys, or part of their liver, to a loved one who needs a transplant in order to survive. This is something people do out of love. Unfortunately, many health insurance companies are punishing those who have selflessly given their loved one a second chance on life. It seems incredibly unfair.
There are more than 110,000 people, in the United States alone, who are waiting for an organ transplant. Almost 90,000 of the people in this group are in need of a kidney transplant. Others need a liver, lung, pancreas, or intestine transplant. There can be no doubt that organ donation saves lives. Transplants that come from living donors are more successful than organs that come from deceased donors. The number of living donors has increased in the past twenty years, but it is still not enough to meet the demand.
Clearly, organ donation is a good thing to do. However, many health insurance companies don’t see it that way. Many living donors are discovering that after their selfless act of organ donation has caused many insurance companies to punish them with incredibly high insurance premiums, or to deny them health insurance coverage altogether.
Some insurance companies are considering organ donation as a pre-existing condition. In 2014, insurers will no longer be allowed to deny coverage due to a pre-existing condition, and they also won’t be allowed to charge more in premiums to a person whom they consider to have a pre-existing condition. So, after 2014, one would hope that the problems that living donors are having with health insurance coverage will disappear.
At this time, just knowing about the potential problems that living donors have with health insurance may be enough to deter some people who would otherwise be considering organ donation. This is incredibly sad news.
Keep in mind, though, that there are some insurance options that may be available to living donors. If you are currently getting your health insurance through a big company, you might not experience any problems with coverage. Another option is to sign up with the pre-existing condition insurance that was created in the state that you live in. To be eligible, you have to have been without health insurance for at least six months. There is a federal law that requires all transplant centers to have an advocate for living donors. The advocate may be able to help you find health insurance coverage.
Image by Liz West on Flickr