Breaking up organ transplant monopoly saves lives, money.

Revolutionizing Organ Transplants: A ​Lifesaving Reform

Providing Hope for Patients ‌in Need

It took far too long, but finally, patients needing life-saving organ transplants ‍may end up getting the high-quality care‌ they both need and deserve. As a disability advocate ⁢and mother of ‍a young child ‌with cystic fibrosis, I ⁣applaud this​ latest reform. Cystic fibrosis is a disease that can destroy an individual’s lungs, and sadly, many ⁢fighting for their lives die while waiting for a⁤ transplant.

Yet a recent step toward protecting ‌the ‍life of the vulnerable came ​with the congressional​ passage of legislation reforming⁣ the network that​ administers the nation’s ‍organ⁣ transplant system. Coupled with prior reforms⁤ enacted by the Trump​ administration, the changes will increase the ‍number⁣ of transplants performed every⁢ year, saving thousands of lives — not to mention taxpayer dollars.

Breaking the Monopoly: A​ Much-Needed Change

The‌ legislation, which passed the House and Senate on voice votes recently, would ⁣break up the monopoly held by⁣ the ⁤Organ Transplant and Procurement Network. This ⁣network,⁢ which oversees the nation’s 56 organ procurement organizations, ‍has long suffered from archaic computer systems and an unaccountable bureaucracy.

A Senate Finance Committee⁢ investigation released ​last year ‍found​ serious​ problems within the network, which⁤ ignored numerous patient complaints.⁢ Other patients ​suffered harm when the​ network’s systems lost organs awaiting transplant.

Modernization⁤ and Accountability: A New Era

Earlier this year, the Biden‍ administration requested new authority from Congress to⁢ restructure the organ transplant network and bids from contractors to administer its systems. Once ‍Biden signs ‍this​ legislation into law, ⁣the network can undergo the modernization‌ that the U.S.​ Digital Service previously recommended.

Congress’s⁤ action comes on the heels of prior regulatory ‍steps that also commanded broad ‌bipartisan support. The ​Trump administration enacted changes designed to promote ‌organ donation and reform the current system. For⁣ instance, allowing reimbursements for expenses such as travel and child ⁣care ⁣costs encouraged more living kidney donors by eliminating the⁢ financial barriers some potential donors faced.

The Trump administration also introduced new accountability to the nation’s organ procurement​ organizations (OPOs), measuring their performance based on the ⁢number of transplants ​they complete.⁣ These OPOs face the possibility of losing ⁣their regional monopoly status if they fail to measure‌ up. The Biden administration has continued the reform efforts, ⁢releasing a dashboard to publicize OPOs’ transplant rates.

Saving Lives and‌ Taxpayer Dollars

Individually and collectively, these new ⁣policies will revolutionize the organ‌ donation industry — a sorely needed effort. An ‍average of 16 patients die every day awaiting an​ organ‍ transplant,⁤ in ‌large part ⁤because the system fails to optimize its performance. Doctors discard organs viewed as less-than-perfect, choosing to ⁢ keep patients waiting and ‍often‌ dying. In other⁤ cases, bureaucratic snafus mean ‍the organs fail to get ⁢to their intended destination in time,‌ meaning ‌they must be discarded for safety reasons.

These⁢ reforms will‌ save not ‌only lives but taxpayers’ money. More efficiently allocating existing organs will allow ⁤for 28,000 more transplants every ‍year, giving the⁤ gift of life to ‍thousands of ⁣Americans. And because Medicare covers most patients with ⁤chronic kidney failure, successfully transplanting more kidneys will save ⁣an estimated $13 billion over five ‌years that would otherwise⁤ be spent covering dialysis‍ treatments for patients.

A⁣ Remarkably Bipartisan Effort

At a time of‌ intense partisanship, reforming the organ procurement⁢ system remains ‌a remarkably​ bipartisan effort, with members of Congress, the Trump administration, and the ‍Biden administration coming together to ‍pass a series of meaningful reforms.

Most importantly, I’m happy for the effect these changes will have on patients in ​desperate need of an organ transplant. By giving new life to the organ‌ transplant system, Congress has quite‍ literally given‌ new life to thousands of Americans.

Mary Vought is the founder of Vought Strategies and a senior fellow at Independent Women’s Forum (iwf.org). You can follow her on Twitter @MaryVought