Changing America's System for Organ Transplants
2020-01-01
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1The United States government recently proposed new rules designed to improve transplant operations.
2The goal is to ease a severe shortage of kidneys and other organs.
3The shortage is so severe that more than 113,000 Americans are on the transplant waiting list - and about 20 die each day.
4Part of the problem is this.
5An Associated Press study recently found some organ collections agencies miss opportunities that could have saved lives.
6Some of these groups secure donors at half the rate of others.
7The U.S. government currently has little way to directly compare organ collection agencies and force poor performers to improve.
8The rules come after President Donald Trump ordered a reworking of care for kidney disease.
9Under the proposed rules, Medicare, the national health insurance program, would rate the performance of organ procurement organizations, or OPOs.
10"No life-saving organ should go to waste," Medicare chief Seema Verma said while announcing the proposals.
11Organ transplant activists praised the move.
12"Patients are dying, and they deserve better," said Jennifer Erickson about the government campaign targeting OPOs.
13Erickson worked on transplant policy for the administration of former president Barack Obama.
14The association that represents the organ collection groups promised to work with Medicare to put the stronger rules into action.
15The new measures are "an opportunity to drive meaningful changes that will increase the availability of organs for transplant and save more lives," said Kelly Ranum, the association's president.
16Ranum also heads the state of Louisiana's OPO.
17A 2017 study by University of Pennsylvania researchers estimated that an improved transplant system could get as many as 28,000 more organs for patients.
18The Trump administration also aims to increase the numbers of living donors.
19The idea is that living donors should be reimbursed for lost wages and other costs during their hospital stay and recovery.
20Currently, the transplant recipient's insurance company pays the donor's medical costs.
21But donors are out of work for weeks while they recover.
22And not all employers permit some form of paid time off.
23Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar's father received a kidney transplant from a living donor.
24"When an American wishes to become a living donor, we don't believe their financial situation should limit their generosity," he said.
25Most transplant organs come from deceased donors.
26But people lucky enough to receive an organ from a living donor often cut their wait time.
27Yet fewer than 7,000 of the 36,529 transplants performed nationwide last year were from living donors.
28I'm John Russell.
1The United States government recently proposed new rules designed to improve transplant operations. 2The goal is to ease a severe shortage of kidneys and other organs. The shortage is so severe that more than 113,000 Americans are on the transplant waiting list - and about 20 die each day. 3Part of the problem is this. An Associated Press study recently found some organ collections agencies miss opportunities that could have saved lives. Some of these groups secure donors at half the rate of others. 4The U.S. government currently has little way to directly compare organ collection agencies and force poor performers to improve. 5The rules come after President Donald Trump ordered a reworking of care for kidney disease. 6Crackdown on OPO's 7Under the proposed rules, Medicare, the national health insurance program, would rate the performance of organ procurement organizations, or OPOs. 8"No life-saving organ should go to waste," Medicare chief Seema Verma said while announcing the proposals. 9Organ transplant activists praised the move. 10"Patients are dying, and they deserve better," said Jennifer Erickson about the government campaign targeting OPOs. Erickson worked on transplant policy for the administration of former president Barack Obama. 11The association that represents the organ collection groups promised to work with Medicare to put the stronger rules into action. 12The new measures are "an opportunity to drive meaningful changes that will increase the availability of organs for transplant and save more lives," said Kelly Ranum, the association's president. Ranum also heads the state of Louisiana's OPO. 13A 2017 study by University of Pennsylvania researchers estimated that an improved transplant system could get as many as 28,000 more organs for patients. 14How to Increase the numbers of living donors? 15The Trump administration also aims to increase the numbers of living donors. The idea is that living donors should be reimbursed for lost wages and other costs during their hospital stay and recovery. 16Currently, the transplant recipient's insurance company pays the donor's medical costs. But donors are out of work for weeks while they recover. And not all employers permit some form of paid time off. 17Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar's father received a kidney transplant from a living donor. "When an American wishes to become a living donor, we don't believe their financial situation should limit their generosity," he said. 18Most transplant organs come from deceased donors. But people lucky enough to receive an organ from a living donor often cut their wait time. 19Yet fewer than 7,000 of the 36,529 transplants performed nationwide last year were from living donors. 20I'm John Russell. 21Lauran Neergaard reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted the story for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 22________________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24opportunity - n. chance; a series of events that makes it possible to do something 25insurance - n. a system by which a company or government agency provides a guarantee of payment for damage, sickness or death 26deserve - v. to do something or show qualities worthy of praise or recognition 27procurement - n. the act or process of getting something 28reimburse - v. to pay someone an amount of money equal to an amount that person has spent - often + for 29generosity - n. the quality of being kind, understanding, and not selfish 30deceased - adj. no longer living 31We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.