causal

US paid plasma supplies the world

Plasma is on the WHO's list of essential pharmaceuticals, yet many countries legally forbid paying plasma donors; there is no widespread shortage only because the US pays donors and exports tens of billions of dollars of plasma products annually, and a recent study found that when paid plasma facilities open, payday loans go down, showing plasma donation substantively supplements low incomes while saving hemophilia and immunodeficiency patients worldwide.

causalpending

Speaker

Alvin Roth

Evidence Quote

payday loans go down when plasma facilities go up. That is, some people are living paycheck to paycheck and donating plasma is a way of supplementing their income in ways that's substantively helpful.

Source

353 | Alvin Roth on the Economics of Morally Contested MarketsSean Carroll's Mindscape
Created: 6/13/2026, 12:30:11 AM

My Notes

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