No transplant for dying dad who is illegal immigrant

[KamaAina]

http://www.mercurynews.com/census/ci_19856536

Without a new kidney, Jesus Navarro will die.

The Oakland man has a willing donor and private insurance to pay for the transplant. But he faces what may be an insurmountable hurdle in the race to save his life: He is an illegal immigrant.

Administrators at UC San Francisco Medical Center are refusing to transplant a kidney from Navarro's wife, saying there is no guarantee he will receive adequate follow-up care, given his uncertain status....

But proponents of tougher border enforcement -- and those fighting to contain ballooning health care costs -- fear that providing such services could lure more undocumented immigrants.

Srsly? They're worried about hordes of kidney patients lugging their dialysis machines thorugh the scorching desert to reach the Land of Milk and Transplants?

Oh yes, "adequate follow-up care" is the same line of crap a hospital in Philadelphia used to deny a transplant to a girl who has Down syndrome.

[DocMac]

1. Im about a nanosecond from an insane rant. nt

[xchrom]

2. ...

[GoCubsGo]

3. Got to love this "Christian Nation"

This sort of thing epitomizes that, eh?

[Snake Alchemist]

5. This is definitely inconsistent

"In one high-profile case, UCLA Medical Center gave an undocumented woman three liver transplants before she turned 21. "

[KamaAina]

7. Both UCLA and UCSF are part of the UC system

but each is independently managed. Not sure if the system has a policy ergarding this.

[Snake Alchemist]

4. Do they have an alternate recipient?

If not, what is the point?

If there is another match who has been waiting then it makes more sense.

Also apparently his wife is also here illegally. "I started crying and crying and crying," said his wife, who asked that her name be withheld because she is also in the country illegally."

[DisgustipatedinCA]

11. I seriously doubt his wife will want to give a kidney to someone else

if her husband is refused the procedure.

[Snake Alchemist]

12. since they appear to be both Mexican citizens

Wouldn't it make sense to go there and have the procedure done under their healthcare system?

[DisgustipatedinCA]

13. No. That would make no sense whatsover to a compassionate person.

[Snake Alchemist]

15. why not save two people instead of one?

His wife is a match. she wants to donate to him. They are covered by Mexico's healthcare program. The procedure could be done there and the next person on the list could get the other organ.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

20. Why do I get the distinct sense that you're not about saving anyone?

[Snake Alchemist]

21. why do I get the sense that you won't

Respond to my point?

[DisgustipatedinCA]

23. Not sure. Maybe you're not good at this sort of thing

Now, let's get down to business. Who do you know in Mexico that can get this man to the top of the kidney transplant list, as he is here in the US, where he's been waiting for years, working (with health insurance). If you can't get this man on the top of the list, you're wasting time. He's dying. It means more to his family than making some point on a discussion board. Send him to Mexico, and he dies. Got any other bright ideas, or can we just go with compassion?

[Snake Alchemist]

24. His wife is a match and wants to donate.

He does not have to be at the top of any list for that.

Try again.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

25. I don't wish for him to be dead just because people like you call him "illegal"

It's that compassion thing I mentioned. We're done here.

[Snake Alchemist]

26. I don't believe I ever used that term.

I just want two people to be alive instead of one. I am not as interested in some sort of agenda.

[ellisonz]

30. I lost any sort of argument you were making at this point...

[EFerrari]

27. Because putting a mortally ill man through the stress of international travel

and the gratuitous uprooting of his family is contra indicated for the success of his surgery? Ya think?

[Snake Alchemist]

28. so better to tell the others on the list

They are out of luck?

He and his wife will still have the stress of deportation up to and beyond the procedure.

[EFerrari]

32. Step away from the straw man. The others on the list have nothing to do with this.

And you are anticipating an outcome that hasn't been determined yet, aren't you?

[Snake Alchemist]

35. what straw? you know either term has specific

Meaning right? If we are talking about the original organ than it has a waiting list. If we are talking about his wife's organ, than he can stay and be deported prior to or after the procedure. that applies also to his wife. Seems like that would be the greatest stress. Do you disagree? Not to mention the crushing financial cost n which would not be an issue in Mexico.

[EFerrari]

36. Nope. We're talking about UCSF making a political, not medical, decision.

[Snake Alchemist]

37. they made their decision before the wife

Came forward. I feel for this guy, but also feel for the next guy on the list.

[EFerrari]

38. The next guy on the list has nothing to do with this.

The wife came forward.

[Snake Alchemist]

41. after he was denied

Which is puzzling. I guess she wasn't tested initially due to her fearing they'd find out about her immigration status. Also worth noting that he is no longer employed so that must also be causing a lot if stress.

[Gormy Cuss]

6. And there's no guarantee for the legal residents either.

More to the point though, this guy has made it to the top of the list, isn't taking an organ from a patient deemed a better risk by the administrators, and he has private health insurance. He's been on dialysis for eight years already.

IMHO the hospital's worried more about its transplant success rate than patient care.

[redqueen]

22. "the hospital's worried more about its transplant success rate than patient care"

That's how it seems to me as well.

They aren't practicing medicine. They're practicing profitability.

[LiberalFighter]

8. Yet, they would allow patients from other countries to have a transplant operation.

Right? Especially if they have the cash.

[Snake Alchemist]

9. I do not believe you can get on the transplant

List if that is the case.

[REP]

14. Wrong.

http://articles.latimes.com/2005/sep/27/local/me-organ27

That was not a directed donation from a living donor, as is the case in the OP.

[Snake Alchemist]

16. this supports my point

It was shut down.

[REP]

18. Not really - that ONE program was shut down

[Snake Alchemist]

19. please cite the other programs continuing the

Practice.

[zbdent]

10. "proponents of tougher border enforcement" ... aren't they usually the

same people that say (at least only when it comes to ABORTION, not in anything else) "life is sacred"?

[Liberal_in_LA]

17. sad. Hope public pressure gets him the transplant.

[EFerrari]

33. @UCSF on Twitter. They are very image conscious. n/t

[DisgustipatedinCA]

39. Thanks. Tweeted

(Tweeted just doesn't have that ring of finality, that puncuation that you feel with a word like 'finished!').

[EFerrari]

40. LOL.

Thank you, DisgustipatedinCA.

[ellisonz]

29. Shameful.

Decisions such as this should outrage any decent human being.

[EFerrari]

31. Omg, i screwed up and read the comments.

[KamaAina]

42. Makes you proud to live in the liberal Bay Area, doesn't it?

Of course, one of the worst offenders is from Ohio. Life in his mom's basement must be awfully boring if he has nothing better to do than make comments on the Merc!

[dembotoz]

34. quick call sarah palin--on other DEATH PANNEL

where is newt
where is mitts
where is frothy
where is ron paul

[pampango]

43. 50,000+ Sign Petition For Undocumented Immigrant To Receive Kidney Transplant

In less than a week, more than 54,000 people have signed a Change.org petition to push the UC San Francisco Medical Center to allow an undocumented immigrant to have a kidney transplant.

ThinkProgress wrote last week about how administrators at the medical center denied Jesus Navarro’s procedure, even though his wife offered her own kidney and he will die without the procedure. “UCSF hospital has told Jesus that the only reason he would not be able to get a transplant is becuase of his immigration status,” writes Donald Kagan, who started the petition on February 2. “As I see it, this is a matter of life and death.”

The petition calls on hospital officials to allow the transplant and “do the right thing.” Sign the petition here.

http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2012/02/07/420771/petition-allow-kidney-transplant/