© Brendan Smialowski/AFPDoctors inspect a kidney after it was removed during a transplant in 2012.
A new look at the numbers surrounding organ transplants in the U.S. has shown what some of you may have suspected —
the rich get their organs quicker and are less likely to die waiting for a transplant.Organ transplant data
The lead author of the study, Dr. Raymond Givens of New York's Columbia University, presented the results at an
American Heart Association conference in Orlando, Florida on Monday. Dr. Givens found the wealthy can more easily get on multiple transplant waiting lists, making it less likely they'll die while waiting for a kidney, heart or other organ.
Organs are supposed to be given to the sickest patients who have waited the longest but many wealthy patients can afford to put themselves on two, three or more wait lists, travelling to other states and paying the fees for the tests needed at each one. Tests can
cost from $23,000 for a kidney all the way up to $51,000 for a heart.
"Multiple-listed patients were more likely to get transplanted and less likely to die," Dr. Givens said. He adds that getting on more than one wait list is a "rational thing to do" for those who can afford it.
Some states, such as New York, have comparatively fewer organs available, while others, such as California, have more. Wealthy people from New York often travel to California and pay for tests and get on wait lists there.
Comment: Nice to know some police really do care about people.