The Political Orphanage Cash for Kidneys
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Nov 20, 2025 Jeremiah Johnson, founder of the Center for New Liberalism and host of the New Liberal podcast, advocates for living kidney donation. He reveals the staggering 100,000-person waitlist and explains why deceased donations aren’t enough. The proposed End Kidney Deaths Act offers a $10,000 yearly credit for strangers donating kidneys, potentially eliminating the waitlist. Jeremiah shares his personal donation experience, discusses the ethical implications, and highlights how financial incentives could effectively boost kidney donations, benefiting both donors and recipients.
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Guest Donated A Kidney To A Stranger
- Jeremiah Johnson shared that he donated one of his kidneys to a stranger in 2019.
- He described the act as personal and initially kept it private until recently.
Deceased Donation Can't Meet Demand
- Deceased-donor reform (opt-out) didn't solve the shortage because usable deceased kidneys are rare.
- Living donors provide better matches and longer-lasting kidneys than most deceased donors.
Back The End Kidney Deaths Act
- Support the End Kidney Deaths Act which offers $10,000 annually for five years to strangers who donate a kidney.
- The refundable credit aims to boost living donations and could potentially eliminate the waitlist.