About a decade ago there was a major kerfuffle in the news about one province (Alberta?) which had denied an organ transplant to a mentally handicaped person. The doctors insisted, though, the reason was not “mentally handicapped persons’ lives are not worth as much”, the reason was that the anti-rejection drug regimen someone would be on for the rest of their life was sufficiently complex that it was judged the person was not capable of properly managing that.
There was a big uproar also about 20-plus years ago when a major figure in the Conservative party back-rooms got a heart transplant, some suggestion that he had jumped the queue. however, everyone denied this and of course, as everyone else has mentioned, the supply is limited and a match is a roulette gamble.
Recall the suggestion that Mickey Mantle had jumped the queue or skirted the requirements in the USA for a liver transplant. There was discussion whether he still had alcohol dependency issues which would mean a liver transplant was a waste of a valuable organ. (Regardless, it failed.)
The criteria in the Canadian system is simple - what is the chance of success? If you are too far gone, have other major issues, resulting quality of life problems, etc. - you are rated lower. One of my high school teachers had a heart transplant a few years after I graduated, I met him several years later at a reunion. He added 15 good years to his life. AFAIK he had no financial issues with the procedure, it was just done.
yes, a transplant is expensive, but probably no more so than open heart surgery, a heart bypass, or any other major surgery that requires a lot of attention, precision where the doctors are messing with your vital organs. Surgeons get good money in Canada, but not the millions upon millions that some in the USA might make. The room, anesthetist, nurses, etc. probably cost the same whether it’s a transplant or an appendectomy. The cost of transporting the organ, depending on distance, may or may not be a significant expense, but generally, an ambulance or helicopter ride costs the same whether its an organ or a critically ill patient.
The other issue is the follow-on drugs; and there was an earlier thread here on prescription drugs and how they are covered. Peple who are seriously financially challenged by drug costs get help from the government. (But as a teacher, likely he had a prescription benefit from his union).