Uninsured and undocumented: a resident perspective
A middle-aged man lies on a gurney. Anxious. Work boots. Blue jeans. Stained white shirt. Rough hands.
“Hi! I’m your doctor. What brings you to the emergency room?”
The patient looks at me, puzzled. He’s Spanish speaking. It’s the middle of the night, and I’d rather not use the translator line. We start in broken English – then I reach for the phone to call the language line.
He collapsed at work, and …