Medical Need, Financial Resources, and Transplant Accessibility

In the US, the need for lifesaving organ transplants exceeds the availability of transplantable organs, and in 2021, approximately 12,000 patients died or developed complications that precluded a transplant while awaiting an organ. Transplant centers are thus forced to ration these scarce resources. The first step for patients to receive an organ is for them to be placed on a national waiting list, ranked according to objective clinical criteria intended to reflect medical necessity. However, the listing system permits transplant centers to factor in patient financial resources in making this initial wait listing decision, which equates to withholding lifesaving medical therapy from those deemed to have insufficient financial resources. This approach contributes to inequities in transplant accessibility and outcomes.