My (the recipient’s) insurance covers the cost of pre-operative testing and surgery of the donor. But, insurance will only cover the testing of one donor at a time, and only while I’m active on the list. For example, Logan could not start being tested for compatibility until I was on the active transplant list. The testing took approximately 6 weeks from when she initially signed up to when we found out she was compatible. If she wasn’t compatible, I would be waiting another 6-ish weeks for another potential live donor to be tested. This would continue until a match was found, or there were no other potential donors. In my situation, the timing hasn’t been an issue, but for those that are extremely sick, every day is important.
Also, it is illegal to sell organs (Public Law 98-507) or benefit financially from organ donation. But, it is allowed for me, the recipient, to cover costs related to the operation including: travel expenses, lodging, and lost wages. That million dollar book / movie deal may still come into play.
The Derek Janiak Hepatobiliary Forum 