11. Illegal Immigrant Kicked Out of Hospital

Maria Sanchez, a cancer patient, was forced to leave the hospital just before her surgery to remove a tumor from her spine because she is an illegal immigrant, reported the Houston Chronicle.  Ms. Sanchez was admitted as a surgery patient at the University of Texas Medical Branch's John Sealy Hospital.  Six days after her admission, a Spanish-speaking doctor informed her she had to immediately leave the hospital because of her illegal immigration status.  He added that she should go to Mexico for the surgery.  According to the hospital, Ms. Sanchez was told to leave because she had no health insurance.

There is currently no law in the United States that prohibits or requires hospitals to accept illegal immigrants as patients outside the emergency room.  However, a hospital is ethically obligated to provide medical treatment after accepting a patient regardless of immigration status or ability to pay.  Texas state law requires hospitals to have a charity policy prominently posted in waiting rooms.

Ms. Sanchez was first admitted to the emergency room at Clear Lake Regional Medical Center.  The following day, she was transferred to UTMB because Clear Lake doctors did not have the neurosurgical skills required for her surgery. 

According to Ms. Sanchez, her tumor not only causes her pain, but has caused her to lose the use of her arms and legs.  Her doctors say that if left untreated, the tumor will continue to grow and will make it impossible for her breathe.

After being evicted from UTMB, Ms. Sanchez tried gaining admission to at least five hospitals and three clinics. She finally moved with her family to Houston, where her husband, a U.S. citizen, could qualify for care at Ben Taub General Hospital, where she was finally treated.

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7416070.html