Jesus Navarro, An Undocumented Immigrant, Denied Kidney Transplant Despite Willing Donor And Insurance Coverage: Jesus Navarro had everything he needed to get a kidney transplant in the United States--private insurance and a willing donor, his wife, with a compatible blood type.
The one thing he didn't have was a green card.
It was the Oakland resident's undocumented status that caused officials at UCSF Medical Center to refuse to perform the necessary medical procedure needed to save Navarro's life from the kidney failure he began experiencing nearly a decade ago.
"UCSF's policy for financial clearance requires candidates to present evidence of adequate and stable insurance coverage or other financial sources necessary to sustain follow-up care long after transplant surgery," Recce Fawley, UCSF's executive director of transplantation, told the Contra Costa Times in a statement. "Immigration status is among many factors taken into consideration."
