WASHINGTON — The federal government will, for the first time, allow Medicaid dollars to treat some people in jails, jails or juvenile detention centers, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services announced Thursday.
CMS allows California inmates access to limited services, including drug treatment and mental health diagnostics, 90 days before their release. Since Medicaid’s inception, federal law has prohibited the use of Medicaid funds by persons in custody, with inmates being suspended from access to their health insurance.
The move will give inmates and juvenile inmates more stability as they leave institutions and return to the outside world, CMS Administrator Chiquita Brooks-LaSure said Thursday.
She said the change will allow the state to “make unprecedented strides for incarcerated individuals who have long been underserved.”
At least 10 other states have asked CMS for waivers to use Medicaid dollars to treat inmates before they are released. California could be a model for those states, especially since the program is new territory for Medicaid and is expected to be a massive undertaking, said Vikki Wachino, who oversees the Health and Reentry Project.
California state officials said Thursday they hope some inmates will be able to access services through Medicaid beginning in 2024. Incarcerated individuals are screened and assessed for eligibility to access the state Medicaid program. If eligible, case workers help them develop a care plan for re-entry.
Rolling out the program to all prisons in the state will take at least two years, said Jacey Cooper, the state’s Medicaid director.
Millions of people are expected to be affected, with California releasing nearly half a million inmates from state or county jails each year and about 80% of those people being eligible for Medicaid.
People leaving prison, jail or juvenile detention often don’t know where to begin with medical care, Wachino said.
“Right now, there’s a tremendous barrier to caregiving as people exit prison,” Wachino said. “As you know, once released, they often had to fend for themselves with very, very little support.”
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This story was first published on January 26, 2023. It was updated on January 27, 2023 to delete an incorrect reference to the Health and Reentry Project at the Commonwealth Fund. The project is not with the Commonwealth Fund.
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