Organ transplant surgery is very expensive. The initial testing that's required in order for a patient to be placed on the waiting list for a transplant can cost tens of thousands of dollars, even if the patient is not hospitalized.
It is not uncommon for the cost of the transplant surgery and following hospitalization to result in a bill that exceeds $500,000. Unfortunately, the expenses do not end with surgery; the cost of medications in the year after surgery typically exceeds $30,000 a year.
Ideally, a patient will have primary insurance to pay the majority of the transplant expenses and a secondary form of insurance to pay the remaining expenses. Even with excellent insurance coverage that pays 80% of the total bill, the remaining 20% can exceed $100,000 from the surgery alone. With secondary or supplemental insurance coverage, the remaining 20% may be paid by the insurance company rather than the patient.
