Arizona to the poor and working-class who need organ transplants: Drop dead....quickly

Tucson hospital: Patient denied transplant coverage dies
By Stephanie Innes, Arizona Daily Star

Arizona Daily Star | Posted: Wednesday, January 5, 2011


Tucson's University Medical Center confirmed today that a patient who was refused a liver transplant because of state budget cuts has died.

The death was "most likely" due to the defunding of the organ transplant, said Jo Marie Gellerman, University of Arizona Department of Surgery spokeswoman.

She could not release any further information about the patient, who was taken off the waiting list Oct. 1 when Arizona stopped paying for certain organ transplants for patients covered by Medicaid. The patient did not die at UMC but had been scheduled to have the transplant there.

The patient is the second person to reportedly die while waiting for one of the transplants that were cut. .........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://azstarnet.com/news/local/article_d20f2974-1926-11e0-8dbd-001cc4c002e0.html