The Nation - News from Sept. 30, 1987

Taxpayers are paying millions of extra dollars because of waste, inefficiency and lack of controls over the way organ transplants are provided to Medicare patients, internal government auditors reported. The lack of efficiency also has resulted in nearly 1,000 kidneys going unused each year, forcing Medicare patients to wait longer for a transplant, the report by the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general’s office said. The study urged that a cap be placed on the amount the government will pay for pre-transplant testing and the purchase of organs for Medicare patients, now exceeding $100 million a year.