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Federal regulators have proposed a major shake-up of the system that allocates human organs for transplantation.
The Health Resources and Services Administration outlined plans Wednesday to reorganize the federal Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network, which the United Network for Organ Sharing, also known as UNOS, exclusively administers. The policy would invite other organizations to participate in the organ system, ending UNOS’ virtual monopoly.
Having multiple contractors will strengthen the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network and “foster competition,” according to a HRSA news release. “We are taking action to both bring greater transparency to the system and to reform and modernize the [Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network]. The individuals and families that depend on this life-saving work deserve no less,” HRSA Administrator Carole Johnson said in the news release.
President Joe Biden made organ transplantation a priority in his fiscal 2024 budget request, which asks Congress to nearly double what the U.S. spends on the system to $67 million. The White House also proposed that lawmakers update the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984 to eliminate a cap on the program’s budget.
More than 42,800 organ transplants occurred in the U.S. last year, according to UNOS. About 104,000 people are currently on waiting lists for organs, according to the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
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