It's the Bryan Lair Show on WNYC.

Welcome back everybody.

I'm Nancy Solomon from the WNYC in Gothamist Newsroom filling in for Bryan today.

We'll take a look now at America's broken organ donor system.

It's estimated that over 25,000 viable organs are wasted each year due to mismanagement

and weak scrutiny.

The current system is managed by a private nonprofit called the United Network for Organ Sharing.

And the 56 local organ procurement organizations overseen by this network have, for years, faced

numerous complaints for endangering patients by mismanaging donations and transplants.

Advocates say that people of color are also less likely to be put on transplant waiting

lists.

A bipartisan bill may soon bring some necessary change to this country's organ transplant

system.

If signed into law, the bill would break apart what has in effect been a monopoly.

The aim is to secure better oversight and more transplants each year desperately needed

because some 17 Americans die every day while awaiting a transplant.

We'll talk about the roots of these longstanding issues and the reforms that appear long

overdue.

Joining me now is Julia Metro, a fellow at Mother Jones covering disability and public health.

And her story in Mother Jones is headlined, Congress is finally fixing the very broken

organ donor network.

Hi Julia, welcome to WNYC.

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