Question

Based on the following article: Does the author favor a market for kidneys? Why? Describe an...

  1. Based on the following article:
  2. Does the author favor a market for kidneys? Why?
  3. Describe an alternative method to a market distribution that would not involve a market?
  4. Which method, the market method or the alternative method is best? Why?

Title: How much is that kidney in the window?

By Bruce Gottlieb; Adapted from

The New Republic

As of April 30, there were 44,989 people on the waiting list for a kidney

transplant. About 2,300 of them will die this year while waiting. If kidney sales

were permitted, these lives would almost certainly be saved.

There are several familiar arguments against legalizing kidney sales, beginning with the idea that giving up a kidney is too dangerous for the donor. But, popular though this argument is, the statistics don't bear it out-at least relative to other risks people are legally permitted to assume. In terms of the effect on life expectancy, donating one of your two kidneys is more or less equivalent to driving an additional 16 miles to work each day. No one objects to the fact that ordinary jobs-like construction or driving a delivery van-carry roughly similar risks.

Another common objection is that government ought to encourage altruism, not profit seeking. But, from the perspective that matters-the recipient's-this

distinction is irrelevant, so long as the donated kidney works. It's not as if the

point of kidney transplants were to improve the donor's karma. Moreover, kidneys from cadavers function for eight years, on average, whereas those from live donors last 17 years. (The reason is that kidneys can be "harvested" from live donors in circumstances less hectic than death and that donors and recipients can be better matched.)

This brings us to the most powerful objection to the sale of kidneys-that, in practice, it would result in the poor selling parts of their bodies to the rich. But, in today's health care economy, that probably wouldn't be the case. For several decades, Congress has mandated that Medicare pay the medical bills of any patient-of any age-who requires dialysis. Transplant surgery and postsurgical drug treatment are expensive, yes, but they're nothing compared to dialysis, which costs about $40,000 per year. That's a savings of $40,000 per year for the 17 years or so during which a transplanted kidney will function. In other words, insurers and the federal government would probably be happy to buy a kidney for anyone who needs one. They'd even be willing to pay donors considerable sums-$50,000, $100,000, or more

Given the amount of money involved, it seems downright contradictory to argue that the poor should be prevented from taking the deal on the grounds that poverty is unfair. Critics will say that allowing kidney sales is the beginning of a slippery slope toward selling other, more essential organs. This, of course, would be a moral disaster, since it would mean legalizing serious maiming (selling eyes) or even murder (selling hearts or lungs). The prospect of someone going under the knife to earn a down payment on a new house or to pay for college is far from pleasant. But neither is the reality of someone dying because a suitable kidney can't be found. The free market may be the worst way to allocate kidneys. The worst, that is, except for all the other alternatives.

Homework Answers

Answer #1

No author is against the market sales of kidney. As he thinks this will result in the practice of poor selling body parts to the rich , it will become a kind of business which is conducted in market and profit seeking will become the main motive.

2.The other method involves the interference of insurers and government who will act as intermediaries between buyer and seller and will buy it for someone who requires the kidney.

3. The alternative method is better as it involoves government and insurance company who will buy the kidney on basis of requirements. Also, the price paid to the donor will be safeguarded to ensure that he is genuinely paid or may be higher. Also kidney transplant is cheaper as compared to dialysis and this method will help in saving expenses of both insurers and government.

Know the answer?
Your Answer:

Post as a guest

Your Name:

What's your source?

Earn Coins

Coins can be redeemed for fabulous gifts.

Not the answer you're looking for?
Ask your own homework help question
Similar Questions
What is Medicare Part C? Provides the aged with home health care Provides the aged with...
What is Medicare Part C? Provides the aged with home health care Provides the aged with prescription drugs Enables low-income aged to participate in Medicaid Provides a voluntary managed care option for the aged How is Medicaid financed? It is financed entirely by the federal government. It is financed entirely by the state. States receive the same percentage of federal support. States with lower per capita incomes receive a greater percentage of federal support If a healthcare system is "free"...
Please read the article and answear about questions. Determining the Value of the Business After you...
Please read the article and answear about questions. Determining the Value of the Business After you have completed a thorough and exacting investigation, you need to analyze all the infor- mation you have gathered. This is the time to consult with your business, financial, and legal advis- ers to arrive at an estimate of the value of the business. Outside advisers are impartial and are more likely to see the bad things about the business than are you. You should...
Please answer the following Case analysis questions 1-How is New Balance performing compared to its primary...
Please answer the following Case analysis questions 1-How is New Balance performing compared to its primary rivals? How will the acquisition of Reebok by Adidas impact the structure of the athletic shoe industry? Is this likely to be favorable or unfavorable for New Balance? 2- What issues does New Balance management need to address? 3-What recommendations would you make to New Balance Management? What does New Balance need to do to continue to be successful? Should management continue to invest...
What tools could AA leaders have used to increase their awareness of internal and external issues?...
What tools could AA leaders have used to increase their awareness of internal and external issues? ???ALASKA AIRLINES: NAVIGATING CHANGE In the autumn of 2007, Alaska Airlines executives adjourned at the end of a long and stressful day in the midst of a multi-day strategic planning session. Most headed outside to relax, unwind and enjoy a bonfire on the shore of Semiahmoo Spit, outside the meeting venue in Blaine, a seaport town in northwest Washington state. Meanwhile, several members of...
Using the model proposed by Lafley and Charan, analyze how Apigee was able to drive innovation....
Using the model proposed by Lafley and Charan, analyze how Apigee was able to drive innovation. case:    W17400 APIGEE: PEOPLE MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AND THE CHALLENGE OF GROWTH Ranjeet Nambudiri, S. Ramnarayan, and Catherine Xavier wrote this case solely to provide material for class discussion. The authors do not intend to illustrate either effective or ineffective handling of a managerial situation. The authors may have disguised certain names and other identifying information to protect confidentiality. This publication may not be...
Sign In INNOVATION Deep Change: How Operational Innovation Can Transform Your Company by Michael Hammer From...
Sign In INNOVATION Deep Change: How Operational Innovation Can Transform Your Company by Michael Hammer From the April 2004 Issue Save Share 8.95 In 1991, Progressive Insurance, an automobile insurer based in Mayfield Village, Ohio, had approximately $1.3 billion in sales. By 2002, that figure had grown to $9.5 billion. What fashionable strategies did Progressive employ to achieve sevenfold growth in just over a decade? Was it positioned in a high-growth industry? Hardly. Auto insurance is a mature, 100-year-old industry...