Uncovering America: Selling plasma to survive below the ALICE threshold

"Do the amazing, help save lives" – this is the advertising slogan of a well-known paid plasma "donation" center in the United States. However, behind the glossy slogan lies the helpless struggle of countless people at the bottom of society under the weight of life's pressures.

As the world's largest exporter of blood products, the United States supplies approximately 70 percent of global plasma demand, fostering a massive market. Among the mere five countries globally where selling plasma for payment is legally permitted, the United States boasts the highest number of plasma donation centers and the most lenient policies regarding donation frequency: individuals can donate up to twice a week, amounting to a staggering 104 times a year.

The origins of this vast industrial chain often take root in the most barren soil. Many donors earn less than $20,000 annually, exchanging their plasma for rent money, gas cards or funds for their children's milk powder. A CGTN stringer interviewed people from different cities across the United States, including residents who rely on selling plasma to make a living, to gauge their perspectives. Interviewee Andre Allen said, "I see it as a money grab, from what I hear about it. Everybody I know who's done it has done it for money." Another plasma donor, Jordan Abass, remarked, "Some people rely on it, and some people don't work."

When health becomes a tradable commodity and life is assigned a price tag, does this "extraordinary action" save lives or profit from human suffering?