More than 120,000 people in the United States are on waiting lists to receive life-saving organ transplants. But for one group of patients, that’s not even an option. Undocumented immigrants have struggled to get on transplant waiting lists. Now, the state of Illinois has passed what it called historic legislation that will cover kidney transplants for all residents without proof of their legal status. CCTV America’s Roza Kazan reports.

Thanks to legislation co-sponsored by Illinois State Representative Cynthia Soto, there are new medical options available to undocumented migrants in the state who have kidney problems.

Ten other states do provide kidney dialysis regardless of immigration status, but starting October first, the new Illinois law will allocate state funds to pay for both kidney transplants and anti-rejection medications without proof of citizenship.

“When you are receiving dialysis and the state is paying $80-85,000 a year, it just makes more sense that $30-45,000 for a transplant makes more sense for the state. You are not spending all that money on dialysis. You are curing someone.” – Cynthia Soto, Illinois State Representative

The law will cover only kidneys. For people who need a liver transplant, there is still no solution. While some local hospitals are willing to do the surgery for free, they continue to ask for proof of citizenship to pay for the anti-rejection medication.

Activists say hospitals are discriminating against the undocumented and the uninsured. The hospitals contacted by CCTV America said they were still studying the new legislation. But they insisted they never discriminate against patients needing vital organ transplants based on their immigration status.