What’s a kidney worth?

A reader, Jen Rhee, sent me this graphic illustrating the worth of various body parts, and it’s intriguing, although I have no direct knowledge of its accuracy. 

Life and disability insurers calculate the worth of certain recurrent injuries. In the olden days, work comp funds published guidelines. Here’s one chart and a CNBC slide show. “Key man” insurance on actors, singers, and dancers may feature in your story — Betty Grable’s legs were insured for $1 million. Time Magazine reports on “Top 10 Oddly Insured Body Parts.”

$600,000 for Dolly Parton’s breasts and $6 million for Bruce Springsteen’s voice?

Ok, I get that.

But a few others will raise your eyebrows–no matter how much you’ve insured them for.

(Graphic: Jen Rhee.)

2 thoughts on “What’s a kidney worth?

  1. How weird. My daughter owes me quite a lot of money for the kidney I gave her back in 1990. I won’t charge her interest. LOL And you want a coincidence that’s too big to include in a novel? She’s a medical transcriptionist–note who created the image: MedicalTranscription.net. There’s got to be a story in this, which would, of course include a lot of lawyers.

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