To keep them from injustice: reflections on the care of unauthorized immigrants with cancer

Estimates from 2010 suggest that more than 11 million unauthorized immigrants reside in the United States. Many oncologists have struggled with how to fulfill their perceived obligation to treat unauthorized immigrant patients with cancer and no access to financial resources. Because of current realities in medical economics and reimbursement policies, there is simply not a large enough profit margin in most practices to offer free care to everyone who needs it. In this article, I attempt to clarify why we feel such an obligation to do so and whether the reasons behind this sense of obligation point us toward a consistent stance we should have toward unauthorized immigrant patients who seek treatment from us.