Organ Donation / Poor & Uninsured... - Reader comments at The New York Sun

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Reader comment on:
Deal or No Deal for Organs?
in response to reader comment: Organ donation

Submitted by Steve Ferkau, Apr 4, 2007 12:02

Your point is a valid one -- but it applies far beyond organ donation... The poor and uninsured or underinsured are routinely denied many types of healthcare in the U.S. It is a little disturbing to ask a poor or uninsured person to give an altruistic gift when the fact is that they or their family may never qualify to be on the receiving end of such a gift...

Though Medicare and Medicaid often cover organ transplantation, it seems unconscionable that a country as affluent and wealthy as ours would not have some type of universal healthcare plan that would allow less affluent people access to healthcare, including organ transplant.

Organ donation is a selfless act -- it is a gift of charity and love... Almost every religion recognizes it as such, some going as far as believing it's an obligation to save another life if you have the ability to do so... Yet that is understandably difficult if you have reason to believe the same consideration would not be given to you...

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Other reader comments on this article

Comment	By	Date
This is a great idea. Of course, you need a critical mass of people (well above the current 8,000 or... [MORE]	Dave Weiner	Apr 5, 2007 13:34
Conceptually, Lifesharers has a valid point -- if you're not willing to sign your donor card and declare that you... [MORE]	Steve Ferkau	Apr 4, 2007 11:49
I said "Deal!" as soon as I heard about LifeSharers. This idea has the simplicity of genius: If you promise... [MORE]	CATHERINE GREENE	Apr 3, 2007 21:37
With news this weekend of a breakthrough in growing heart valves from stem cells - and the researchers behind it... [MORE]	Scott Baker	Apr 3, 2007 12:06
Conceptually, Lifesharers has a valid point -- if you're not willing to sign your donor card and declare that you... [MORE]	Steve Ferkau	Apr 3, 2007 11:31
Yes it costs nothing to donate an organ, but receiving one costs plenty. Poor people or underinsured people are routinely... [MORE]	Bill Dienstag	Apr 3, 2007 06:10
Assume that Mr. Dienstag is right about his facts. How is a poor person worse off by paying zero, which... [MORE]	David R. Henderson	Apr 3, 2007 12:53
Your point is a valid one -- but it applies far beyond organ donation... The poor and uninsured or underinsured...	Steve Ferkau	Apr 4, 2007 12:02
Assuming Mr. Dienstag is right and continuing Mr. Henderson's thought -- that poor person may be able to raise the... [MORE]	Steve Ferkau	Apr 4, 2007 22:16
LifeSharers is a fantastic idea, a tribute to ingenuity and common sense in a civil society. For too long, we've... [MORE]	Lawrence W. Reed	Apr 3, 2007 04:24

Reader comment on:Deal or No Deal for Organs?in response to reader comment: Organ donation

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Reader comment on:
Deal or No Deal for Organs?
in response to reader comment: Organ donation