1 in 4 Donated Hearts Come From Uninsured
Jack Fink Reporting
April 6, 2006
(CBS 11 News) A study by Texas researchers found that one out of every four hearts donated in the United States comes from an uninsured person.
The problem is in most cases the uninsured patients who need a heart are most likely not eligible to receive one.
That conundrum has a Fort Worth man facing a life and death situation.
Bennie Baty needs a new heart, without one, his doctor says Baty will die in less than two years.
The Fort Worth resident was diagnosed with congestive heart failure two years ago when he was just 39-years-old.
He says it's been difficult explaining it to his six year old son.
"He everyday says daddy, when are you going to get better? That's what I'm doing son. It just makes me want to fight even harder," Baty said.
Baty can't afford the $50,000 life-saving heart transplant, nor the nearly $400,000 it costs for the first year of treatment alone.
The former A/C contractor has no health insurance, which means he will most likely not be placed on a list to become eligible to receive a heart transplant.
When asked if Baty thinks that's a death sentence he said, "Yeah, you have no choice. You can't get one if you need a heart. You might as well be written off."
A recent study conducted by Southern Methodist University and UT Southwestern finds Baty is not alone.
While he and the tens of millions of others nationwide without health insurance wouldn't be eligible to receive a new heart, the study found nearly a quarter of the hearts donated each year come from the uninsured.
"I think what our study calls attention to is that the present system really isn't fair," said Dr. Mark Drazner, UT Southwestern Cardiologist.
Dr. Drazner and SMU Ethics Professor Tom Mayo are co-authors of the study.
They say the current system raises ethical concerns.
"We're talking about people who are going to die as a result of an inequitable situation. We ask more from certain people and certain groups of people than we are willing to give, in terms of healthcare," Mayo said.
Drazner says there's no way to tell how many of the uninsured need a new heart. "There's no database telling us how many people are denied a heart transplant simply because they can't afford it."
"There's nothing about organ transplantation and donation that's fair. This is the last part of healthcare that's essentially rationed, because we just don't have enough organs," said Pam Silvestri, Southwest Transplant Alliance.
There was a dramatic turn of events for Bennie Baty and his wife Connie. It came at UT Medical Branch in Galveston, where he's been treated. Even though he has no health insurance, the hospital was going to consider whether he could be eligible for a new heart.
UT Medical Branch is able to be Baty's last hope because every year it provides more than $100 million in free care to the uninsured.
"We've developed a series of processes, procedures, and protocols to try to manage the demands we have for our services," said Dr. Joan Richardson, UT Medical Branch.
The Baty's could only wait to hear what the hospital had decided.
Then UT Medical Branch Dr. Scott Lick gave them the good news. "We reviewed all of your stuff. Everything looks o.k. We're going to put you on the list as of today."
Baty's cardiologist Dr. Lick tells all transplant patients they must take care of themselves, because there are so few hearts being donated every year.
The doctor expects it will take several months before they find a heart for him, but Baty is one of the lucky few.
There's no way to know how many others without health insurance will die because they don't have the chance to be placed on the heart transplant list.
"We'll be o.k. I just hope other people can be given a second chance. It's the right thing to do," said Baty's wife, Connie.
The authors of the study are now calling for a government-sponsored task force to try to find a solution to the problem.
Advocates believe if the uninsured would become eligible for a heart transplant the number of donors could rise.
Copyright © 2006 CBS Stations Group of Texas L.P.
This article posted April 30, 2006.