Hospitals probed over claims American donor organs went to wealthy foreign recipients

House lawmakers are launching congressional investigations of two major hospital systems over allegations they allowed wealthy foreign patients to skip U.S. organ transplant waiting lists as more than 100,000 Americans remain on those lists and thousands die each year waiting for life-saving organs.

Rep. Jason Smith, R-Mo., who leads the oversight efforts of the House Ways and Means Committee. and David Schweikert, R-Ariz., sent letters Tuesday to the University of Chicago Medical Center and Montefiore Medical Center in New York, requesting records by Feb. 10 and warning that they would issue subpoenas if the hospitals do not comply with the rules.

The allegations, first reported by the New York Times, allege that tax-exempt hospitals are effectively preempting U.S. patients by transplanting organs obtained from American donors to foreign nationals who travel to the United States specifically to receive transplants. Smith and Schweikert said the alleged behavior likely skipped Americans on transplant waiting lists, potentially leading to loss of life.

Smith said the allegations highlight the essence of what tax-exempt hospitals are supposed to represent and could trigger a broader review of whether the benefits should continue.

REGULATION ON THE BIDEN ERA CHOP BLOCK AS TRUMP-ALIGNED LEGAL GROUP WARNED ABOUT ‘DEI LENS’

“If U.S. hospitals, which receive lucrative taxpayer-funded subsidies, prioritize foreign nationals for organ transplants over saving American lives, their tax-exempt status should be terminated,” Smith said. “America first means putting American lives first, not your profits. The Ways and Means Committee will leave no stone unturned and is prepared to use every tool at our disposal, including subpoenas, in pursuit of the truth.”

In a letter to University of Chicago Medical Center President Thomas Jackiewicz, lawmakers said they were particularly concerned about the hospital’s transfer numbers. While foreign patients accounted for approximately 11% of heart and lung transplants at the hospital, 61 international patients received organ transplants between 2020 and 2024; that’s more than any other hospital in the United States.

Lawmakers also cited cases where foreign patients allegedly received organs within a few days, while American patients waited much longer.

STUDIES FIND ORGAN DONORS’ LIVES ARE IN DANGER DUE TO RUSHED TRANSPLANT PROCEDURES

One case involved a wealthy Japanese woman who received a heart transplant after an exception increased her priority just three days after she was placed on the waiting list. The patient was a self-paying international recipient, and a charity founded by her husband later donated money to a nonprofit affiliated with the transplant surgeon’s family, raising concerns about a possible exorbitant payment.

“The case has caused alarm among transplant experts and has drawn scrutiny because it suggests that wealth, connections and post-transplant charitable donations may have intersected with access to a scarce organ,” the letter said.

Lawmakers also questioned whether the hospital violated its obligations as a tax-exempt institution by allegedly contracting with foreign governments for organ transplant services.

HUNDREDS OF DISCOMPOSED BODIES WERE FOUND IN NIGERIA’S SUSPICIOUS ORGAN HARVESTING RING

“Contracting with a foreign government to provide these important services to foreign nationals rather than to American citizens raises serious questions about the nature of the community benefit you are providing to maintain your tax-exempt status,” the letter continued.

A separate letter to Montefiore Medical Center President and CEO Philip O. Ozuah detailed similar concerns. Lawmakers reported that 20 percent of lung transplant recipients at Montefiore are overseas patients, generating tens of millions of dollars in revenue for the hospital.

The letter alleged that Montefiore advertised transplant services abroad by emphasizing short wait times and concierge care, while whistleblowers alleged that international patients were given preferential treatment, including altering or omitting medical records to expedite access to organs.

THE PATIENT DIED OF RABIES AFTER ORGAN TRANSPLANTATION FROM AN INFECTED DONOR

House lawmakers are investigating major hospitals over allegations that American donor organs are going to wealthy foreign patients, potentially costing the lives of U.S. patients as they await transplants. (on iStock)

A former organ transplant financial coordinator told The New York Times that American patients were being pushed aside, lawmakers said.[W]”We had patients we worked with who were waiting their turn, and then someone from Kuwait would come and cross the line.”

Smith and Schweikert noted that more than 100,000 Americans are currently waiting for an organ transplant, and about 5,600 people die each year while on the waiting list.

“Montefiore’s decision to provide foreign nationals with this critical service (and preferential treatment over American citizens) in exchange for large payments well above market rate is completely inappropriate,” the letter said.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

The document requests come amid an ongoing congressional investigation into the U.S. organ transplant system.

Schweikert said the investigation has already produced results, including the Trump administration’s decision to revoke the license of an organ procurement agency in Miami. He said testimony at the hearing in December revealed “shocking stories of organ donations gone terribly wrong” and underlined the need for greater transparency in the transplant system.