Coverage of Transplants for Undocumented Immigrants Stirs Debate


There is a growing debate over organ donations for undocumented immigrants in California, with state coverage of such services occupying a central role in discussions, the Los Angeles Times reports.

Undocumented immigrant children in California with severe, chronic illnesses are eligible for no-cost health services from the state until they turn 21, when many lose health coverage and encounter difficulties receiving necessary care, according to the Times.

The immigrants are supposed to be seamlessly transferred to receive low-cost or no-cost care through county medical services or indigent care programs, but those programs often do not cover organ transplants.

However, Norman Williams, spokesperson for the Department of Health Care Services, said if undocumented immigrants inform the state in writing that U.S. immigration services “is aware of their presence and does not plan to deport them,â€