Department of Surgery

Division of Solid Organ Transplantation

Procedures

Kidney Transplant Surgery

Financial Issues

Transplants are very expensive procedures. Besides the cost of the actual surgery, there are the costs of preliminary testing and post-operative recovery – including the cost of being away from work for a significant period. There are additional costs if you and your family need to travel to Strong Hospital and stay in Rochester for a while. Your medical insurance may not cover all these costs, which is why people normally rely on several sources to help pay for a transplant.

You will not face these concerns alone. Your transplant team includes social workers and financial coordinators who will work with you to determine how you can best afford the cost of your transplant. For example, they can contact your insurance company to check on your benefits and explain your coverage in more detail. They can also introduce you to additional funding sources, such as:

Before talking with them, you can get a great deal of information about developing your financial strategy from UNOS. You can go to the financial section of the UNOS web site or get a copy of the UNOS booklet, What Every Patient Needs to Know, by calling us at 585-275-7753.

You can also get information from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) fact sheet for Financial Help for Treatment of Kidney Failure.

Medications

The immunosuppressants and other drugs you must take after your transplant will be a large part of your medical expenses. Most drug manufacturers have patient assistance programs giving discounts to patients who can show that they can't afford the cost of their prescribed medications. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America publishes the Directory of Prescription Drug Patient Assistance Programs available on-line or by mail from:

Also, the Medicine Program offers help in finding and applying for free medicines supplied by pharmaceutical companies. To ask for help, get an application form online or by mail and list the medicines you need. Send the application back with a $5.00 processing fee for each medicine you list. If the program fails to qualify you to get the medicine, your processing fee will be returned.