Luis Jimenez was injured in a car accident that left him “with brain damage and he is now a paraplegic which means he is not able to walk. Luis Jimenez is an undocumented immigrant who did not have insurance when he had his accident (Ludden, 2009)”. So, when he was sent to Martin Memorial Hospital after the accident he was taken care of at the expense of the hospital. Martin Memorial Hospital was kind enough to take care of him for seven years before it became a problem. Some of the expense was taken care of by Medicaid for Luis Jimenez. Martin Memorial Hospital does not have a set policy on how to deal with a patient who does not have insurance and develops a severe condition that leaves them incapacitated. Luis Jimenez was receiving care from the hospital and was improving to the point he could be transferred to a nursing home. The only problem was that he had no insurance and was an illegal immigrant. They tried to place Luis Jimenez in a nursing home but the hospital could not find a nursing home that would take him in without any insurance. Since he did not have any insurance the only choose the hospital felt that they had was to deport Luis Jimenez back to his home in Guatemala.
The hospital claims that one of the reasons Luis Jimenez was deported is because he wanted to go home. Another reason is the amount of money being spent to take care of Luis Jimenez. The hospital had spent about “$1.5 million for his care and treatment in the hospital already (Ludden, 2009)”. The hospital wanted to transfer Luis Jimenez to a long-term care physicality but because he had no insurance and was not a legal resident of the United States it became a problem to find a physicality that would take Luis Jimenez. The hospital could have kept Luis Jimenez indefinitely but the argument could have been made that he was taking up a bed that could be used for a seriously injured person.
So, what happened next is the hospital was sued for deporting Luis Jimenez back to Guatemala without the permission of his Guardian. According the hospital, it was not necessary to contact the Guardian of Luis Jimenez before he was sent back to Guatemala. The case is very difficult for all parties concerned. The hospital invested at least seven year of their time taking care of Luis Jimenez only to be sued by the Guardian for deporting him. It is also very hard to watch Luis Jimenez being deported back to his home especially when he has a chronic condition. The hospital could not take care of Luis Jimenez forever but there had to be another solution that could be found instead of sending him back to his country, not knowing if he will receive the proper care he needs.
I do not feel that the hospital handled the Luis Jimenez case well. Yes, the hospital took care of Luis Jimenez for seven years. The hospital also took the time to try and locate a nursing home for Luis Jimenez. Once the hospital saw that there was a problem finding a long-term care physicality for Luis Jimenez another solution should have been discussed before sending him back to Guatemala. They should have at least waited for the results of the case that was being put before the court by the Guardian before deporting Luis Jimenez.
One other problem that was brought out during the Luis Jimenez case was the economic cost of taking care of a patient that does not have insurance. The cost of taking care of a patient in a hospital that does not have insurance can add up. I feel the hospital did what it could to help Luis Jimenez when he did not have insurance to pay for his care. The only problem I have is what happens with people who do not have insurance when they must go to the hospital for an issue like this one. There should be policies that are in effect in the hospital to address this issue.
During my research, I did not come across any specific policies that are in place for a hospital when a patient does not have insurance. There should be options for people who fall on hard times when they have no insurance. Especially when the patient has a chronic condition that completely alters their life and they can no longer take care of themselves. One way to solve the problem would be to have grants that can be given to patients who have the kind of situation that Luis Jimenez has.
The issues like what happened to Luis Jimenez should be handled differently. Since there are no policies in effect to protect a person who has no insurance and is illegal in this country the government should get involved. The government should have a study performed to access how often this situation takes place in hospitals. When an issue happens like what happened with Luis Jimenez there should be policies set in place that a hospital can use to help the patient. The patient should not be forced to go back to their country just because of the money that it would cost to take care of the patient.
We live in a country where we have quality care that is given to a patient. When you send a patient back to their county you at least need to be sure that they are going to receive the same quality care that they are getting here. The patient should have been given the option to go back to their country only if you know that the patient will be getting quality care. If they are not going to be given quality care, there should be a grant set up in each hospital that covers the cost of long-term care for patients who have chronic conditions. The results of the court case in the end helped Luis Jimenez have a better quality of life by being awarded money to take care of him at home which is only fair.
I do not think that deporting Luis Jimenez was the right thing to do. I am just glad that he received money to help him get the things that he needs in the home that he currently lives in. There must be a better way to solve the problem of people who find themselves in this country without insurance and not being a citizen especially when they have a chronic condition and cannot help themselves. We must keep searching for a way that will be beneficially for all concerned because everyone deserves to have good quality care.
References
Ludden, J. (2009, July) “Deportation Deeper for U.S. Hospitals”, NPR, Retrieved from: http://www.npr.org.
