December 11, 2013

"Fresh questions about Steve Jobs’ liver transplant have been raised..."

",,, after it emerged that the doctor who performed the surgery spent two years in the Memphis, Tenn., house Jobs bought for his recovery."
Shortly after it emerged that Jobs had the surgery in 2009, [Dr. James] Eason issued a statement saying that Jobs received the transplant “because he was … the sickest patient on the waiting list at the time a donor organ became available,” based on a scoring system known as the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, or MELD.

17 comments:

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

The local billionaire provided free housing to a jazz trombonist for several years, because he likes jazz. The rich are different to you and me.

David said...

Jobs did a favor for a guy who tried to save his life?

Or rich powerful Steve Jobs games Death Panel system?

We are going to see a lot of these types of stories.

tim maguire said...

Did the doctor who performed the surgery decide who got the liver? I can't for the life of me think of a reason why he should. If so, that's a problem with the system.

David said...

The scoring system for determining priority in liver transplants is known by the acronym "MELD."

I looked up "gaming MELD" on Google and got a bunch of articles about Canasta.

Biff said...

I've yet to meet a professional bioethicist, including the one mentioned in the article, who has not left me with the impression that they wanted to kill people.

Amexpat said...

I'm as much of an egalitarian as the next guy, but some people deserve preferential treatment. Jobs was one of them. He created enormous wealth for the society he lived in, which in turn will provide funding for hospitals to save more lives.

NotWhoIUsedtoBe said...

I thought "MELD" was for genetically modifying XCOM soldiers.

Shockingly, people are willing to spend money to not die.

tim maguire said...

Biff, reminds me of a saying: just as there is no idea so stupid that no intellectual to support it, there is no act so heinous that no ethicist will insist on it.

Oso Negro said...

When rich people stop dying, be worried.

madAsHell said...

Jobs also skirted California law by buying a new Mercedes every month. He never had to put a license plate on his car. Always had a temporary plate.

I suspect the ash try was never full as well.

Biff said...

@tim maguire - Thanks!

Wince said...

There's nothing you and I won't do

I'll stop the world and MELD with you.

William said...

I'd be very much surprised if an inventive man with billions to burn couldn't come up with a way to game the system. I'd just take my surgeon along on a vacation to China. A trip to the Great Wall would definitely be on my bucket list.

A. Shmendrik said...

Methinks he was using the Money-Talks-Bullshit-Walks scoring model.

Bayoneteer said...

Only suckers would donate body parts because just such corruption. If the oligarchs want you or your loved ones organs let 'm write you a big check.

mccullough said...

Jobs was a terrible candidate for a liver transplant. He waited way too long to get treatment and was almost certain to die within a short time, which he did.

mark said...

I Had a liver tx in 07 I am a poor snook on medicaid yet when my meld score zoomed to the top, so did my TA JOBS WAS A RICH MAN THAT LNEW ENUFF TO LIST IN SEPERATE REGIONS! THATS ALL!