On September 19, Jesus Armando Cornelio collapsed while playing soccer at a park with his brother. Today, his wife fights to afford the health care he needs, as Arizona’s laws state that Medicaid is only for those who have been legal permanent residents for five years.

Evelyn Saenz-Cornelio’s husband now has brain damage after his brain went without oxygen for about 13 minutes. And though doctors at Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center in Phoenix say they will continue to treat him for the time being, Saenz-Cornelio says she has been told by the hospital that she needs to take him to Mexico for treatment, where he is originally from, or put him in hospice care.

Cornelio, 23, has lived in the U.S. since he was 10-years-old. He obtained an employment authorization card and a Social Security card from the U.S. government and next week, he was scheduled to have a final interview to get a permanent resident card. Immigrants are not eligible for Arizona Medicaid until they have been legal permanent residents for five years, something Jesus Cornelio is not.

Though the hospital has given them a one-week extension, Saenz-Cornelio says she does not know what she will do once that week is up.

Read more here.

Who does “Hispanically Speaking News” think it’s kidding with the story title, “Arizona Latina fights to afford medical care for her brain-damaged husband?”  Her struggle is NOT to find her own money to pay (such as private fund-raising and family members) but to find SOMEONE ELSE to pay for his medical care—specifically the Arizona taxpayers who fund the AHCCCS. Has she ever heard of medical insurance (assuming she’s legal and has a job)? 

As it happens, AHCCCS enrollments are closed now, so legal Americans can’t even apply, and this illegal’s wife had the audacity to expect a special exception for him.

He has already attended school on Arizona taxpayers from 6th grade—likely needing ESL.  He’s sponged on Americans long enough.  Let Mexico provide the rest of his free medical care.

His legality is only recent—note that he couldn’t get a scholarship to Phoenix College because of the 2006 voter initiative prohibiting illegals from public school aid.  That means the man was illegal at the time.

Perhaps his wife is a citizen and his recent legality is by piggy-backing onto her citizenship for his “final interveiw for permanent resident status.”  For whatever reason, he’s sponged off Arizona taxpayers long enough.  No exceptions for him to get on AHCCCS.

Send him to Mexico for their free medical care.  Or let his family and friends pay for it here.  No more sponging off taxpayers.