It is interesting how the (monetary) price for blood is basically $0, while for plasma it's > $0. Know nothing about blood or plasma, but I'd imagine this is b

It is interesting how the (monetary) price for blood is basically $0, while for plasma it's > $0. Know nothing about blood or plasma, but I'd imagine this is because donating plasma takes longer and is more painful. Wouldn't be surprised if it was trickier to store/transport/use or if you generally got less plasma fluid out of a person vs blood, or people could donate less often or something. Also note while the monetary price for blood is $0, that's probably not the full price -- just ask anyone who has reluctantly donated blood because they didn't want to be the only person in their school or office not donating during a blood drive. There's often a social cost to NOT donating too. Also, even with these differences/caveats the lack of a price system for blood does lead to some mismatches between supply and demand. There's currently a big blood shortage as we speak (google it), leading some hospitals to cancel elective surgery.