CASE OF INJURED MAN SPURS DEBATE OVER THE PROVISION OF MEDICAL SERVICES TO UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS

Twenty-four year old Saul Diaz arrived in the Atlanta, Georgia area last April, looking for work in the city’s booming construction business.  As he was riding in a van to his first day of work, the vehicle was involved in a serious wreck and Diaz was left grievously wounded.  He was taken to a local hospital where doctors discovered several holes in his intestines.  Operations stabilized his condition, but he was left with a hole above his navel through which his intestines can still be seen.  He needs a final surgery to fix this, but it seems this won’t happen in Atlanta.

Officials at Gwinnett Medical Center discovered Diaz’ undocumented status after asking him if he was eligible for Medicaid.  This set off a string of attempts to have him moved to a Mexican hospital.  Initially it seemed this transfer would be made, but opposition from Diaz’ family in Mexico halted it, saying they could not afford to take care of him.  In what the hospital calls a “last resort” to try to transfer him, they contacted the INS, which, of course, began efforts to have Diaz removed from the US. 

Advocates for both uninsured Americans and for undocumented immigrants have criticized the actions of the hospital, calling them “unconscionable” and “heavy-handed.”  They are concerned that Diaz’ inability to pay for his medical treatment is leading the hospital to discharge him before he is medically ready.  The hospital maintains that he is fit to leave the hospital.

The issue of treatment of undocumented immigrants is a big one for hospitals.  Under federal law, hospitals must provide emergency medical treatment to everyone, regardless of their immigration status.  Given the rising costs of medical treatment, care of indigent patients is growing more and more costly.  While no one knows how much of this cost can be attributed to undocumented immigrants, it is known that they tend to work in more dangerous occupations, such as construction.