Jesus Navarro, An Undocumented Immigrant, Denied Kidney Transplant Despite Willing Donor And Insurance Coverage
It seems as though immigration is is a topic in journalism that is never exhausted. There are so many policies, issues, and different opinions on this one thing in particular that it shouldn't be surprising to read an article title describing a denied kidney transplant to an immigrant living in the United States. I stumbled upon this article on aol.com, and was written for a newspaper in San Francisco, the Huffington Post.
This story is about a man named Jesus Navarro, who had a willing donor with a compatible blood type and insurance to cover the operation; however Navarro is missing a green card, the one thing preventing him from going under the knife. Although he had been living in the country illegally, Navarro had private insurance for the past 14 years which would cover the operation, but according to the USFC Medical Center's policies "immigration status is among many factors taken into consideration." How is it that an American hospital, medical center, or doctor could refuse to perform a surgery that may save a man's life?
One aspect of this article I enjoyed was the paradox they mentioned, that Jesus Navarro is able to donate organs, but is unable to receive. This is extremely unfair, and quite frankly surprising that U.S. doctors and/or hospitals would accept organs from illegal immigrants knowing if they ever needed some type of transplant, the favor would not be returned.
For me, the one thing this story lacked was some direct quotes from Navarro himself. Hearing what he has to say about his status as an immigrant, and how he feels about this treatment would bring a different view to the article. Or even from a person unrelated to the Navarros, who would support the transplant, or a voice opposing and agreeing with the U.S. policies.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/01/31/jesus-navarro-an-undocumented-immigrant-kidney-transplant_n_1245630.html
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