A Statement From Arnold Ventures on Organ Donation Rules

Poor performance by the government contractors responsible for procuring human organs has led to needless deaths, a disproportionate toll on communities of color, and billions in wasted taxpayer dollars. 

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently finalized new measures that will strengthen oversight and accountability into organ procurement organizations (OPOs). We call on the Biden-Harris Administration, as part of its commitment to health equity, to implement these rules without delay. 

Peer-reviewed research shows that OPO failures have led to as many as 28,000 lifesaving organs not being transplanted every year. As a result, 33 Americans – disproportionately patients of color – die every day waiting for an organ transplant, a problem that has worsened as COVID-19 increases the risk of organ failure.

Enforcement of the newly finalized regulations could lead to as many as 7,300 additional transplants per year and save taxpayers as much as $40 billion over 10 years in foregone dialysis costs. 

There is widespread support for increasing transparency and accountability of OPOs, and we urge the Biden-Harris Administration to support bipartisan reforms that will improve the nation’s organ transplant system, end the waste, fraud and abuse endemic in OPOs, and save lives.