(SF GATE) University of California San Francisco Medical Center officials on Thursday said they would perform a kidney transplant operation on an Oakland man who had accused the medical center of denying him a kidney transplant because of his immigration status.
But the hospital said Jesus Navarro must prove he can pay for his medications and follow-up care after surgery.
Navarro, a 35-year-old father and illegal immigrant suffering from kidney disease, has received national attention. His case prompted 140,000 people to sign an online petition urging UCSF to approve his surgery and sparked widespread debate over whether patients' immigration status should influence whether they get the operation.
On Thursday, both UCSF officials and Navarro said much of the controversy has been a misunderstanding. They said Navarro's financial and health insurance uncertainties - not his immigration status - are the reason for the potential delays.
"UCSF does not and will not discriminate on the basis of immigration status," the hospital said Thursday in its first public statement about Navarro's case.
However, hospital administrators acknowledged his immigration status complicates the issue because it may make Navarro ineligible for government programs to help pay for ongoing medical care and lifesaving drugs needed to prevent organ rejection.
After a transplant, the cost of medications can range from $10,000 to $60,000 a year.
"Whether people are documented or not, this issue of assuring coverage for very, very expensive care is critical, and our current health care financing system is so fragmented it puts people in a real bind," said Dr. Joshua Adler, UCSF's chief medical officer. "That bind is even more limiting for people who are undocumented."
Navarro, originally from Mexico, has been waiting for a kidney for six years and undergoes nightly dialysis. His wife, Karen, hopes to be able to donate a kidney.
Last May, he met with UCSF officials as part of a review routinely conducted of potential transplant patients when they have about a year left on the waiting list. After the meeting, in which he revealed he was not here legally, UCSF changed Navarro's status on the kidney transplant waiting list to "inactive."
Navarro has insurance, but recently lost his job of 14 years. He is paying $1,100 a month to continue receiving his former employer's coverage.
Assuming he can keep up with the payments, that option lasts only 18 months.
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TXT 24
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