Medicare Adds Some Transplant Coverage

Beginning today, Medicare will pay for intestinal transplants for some elderly and disabled patients at three government-approved transplant centers.

Nationally, more than 75,000 people are waiting for organ transplants, but just 173 need new intestines. Fewer than 1,000 intestinal transplants have been performed in the United States and most of those have been done on children.

The government will cover patients with intestine failure who no longer can be treated with intravenous feeding tubes. The decision affects few of the millions of elderly and disabled patients covered by Medicare, but health officials said it was a big step in advancing donor awareness and medical technology.

Intestinal transplant costs vary from patient to patient but generally are $400,000 or more.