CRITICAL CONDITION - CARLOS' STORY

Carlos Benitez, an uninsured chef at a French restaurant, has a severe back deformity that has caused him 15 years of unbearable pain and taken seven inches off his height. After learning that the county hospital will not perform surgery, he becomes convinced that the only way to find an affordable cure is to travel to Mexico, where orthopedic specialists recommend he have surgery as soon as possible. Even though the cost in Mexico City is a fraction of what it would be in Los Angeles, he still can’t afford the procedure or the time away from work. Carlos resigns himself to a life of chronic pain and deformity until he experiences what he calls a miracle. Dr. Patrick Dowling, the Chief of the Department of Family Medicine at UCLA, had seen Carlos a local health fair where the doctor was supervising his medical students as they offered free check-ups to the public. Making a rare exception to the rule, Dr. Dowling is able to arrange for a private orthopedic hospital and a team of surgeons to waive their $300,000 fees for Carlos’ operation. Dr. Dowling is “very pleased that we could help this one individual out,” but laments that “we can’t do endless surgery on uninsured patients; it begs a national solution.”