'Cirugía Sin Fronteras' provides low cost surgery to families in need

Despite the expansion of Medicaid and insurance subsidies for lower-income Americans through the Affordable Care Act, some working people are still falling through the cracks. This hole in medical coverage is perhaps most glaring in the case of expensive but life-saving surgeries. Cirugía Sin Fronteras (Surgery Without Borders) exclusively serves patients without health insurance. Operating through a network of Kern County healthcare professionals, the organization has served 660 patients since its inception in 2011. "As an employee of Costco on Panama Lane, the pain threatened her livelihood, and she knew she needed to see a doctor. But [Sara Sanchez] didn’t have health insurance. She made too much money to qualify for MediCal, while the cost of insuring herself and her whole family was too high through ACA." Read more about the surgery nonprofit group on South Kern Sol.