Disclaimer – Auto-generated content in Spanish:
Algunas partes de esta página se generan automáticamente y podrían contener errores menores. Se recomienda usar el juicio crítico al interactuar con ella.
Disclaimer – Auto-generated content in Spanish:
Algunas partes de esta página se generan automáticamente y podrían contener errores menores. Se recomienda usar el juicio crítico al interactuar con ella.
Chandra Bozelko (Emerging Leaders™ 2016) writes at The National Memo:
“Under the approved new demonstration projects, both of which will commence at some time in 2024 in California and Washington, the only two states approved for the waiver so far, Medicaid coverage will be available for eligible incarcerated individuals in jails, courthouses, prisons, juvenile and community residential centers.
“Eligible inmates — those with behavioral health needs, including mental health disorders, substance use disorder, certain other health conditions, and incarcerated youth — will receive Medicaid coverage for a period of up to 90 days immediately before their release. They receive a targeted benefit package that will include case management services (securing appointments on the outside) medication-assisted treatment for substance abuse disorders while they are still awaiting release, a 30-day supply of medications upon release, and certain other supportive services.
“Allowing Medicaid to cover detainees for 90 days before departure is an especially compelling prospect.
An unprecedented development in correctional healthcare
“For years, the average jail stay was around 33 days, according to the Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics. This length of stay stays well within the 90-day limitation in the demonstration project rules allowing them to get coverage upon admission.
“Recently, a study of three specific jails indicated that the average jail stay may be rising. In 2019, those charged with violent crimes who were admitted to the Louisville-Jefferson County, Kentucky Jail, the St. Louis County, Missouri Jail or the Durham County, North Carolina Jail spent, on average, more than 100 days in custody, as compared to fewer than 40 days for a nonviolent felony and fewer than nine days for a misdemeanor.
“Waiting longer than 90 days for the resolution of one’s charges doesn’t necessarily make a jail detainee ineligible for coverage. When someone is not yet sentenced and awaiting determination of the date they will leave — either to go home or to state prison — they still may be within 90 days of their release from the facility.
“Theoretically, any unsentenced detainee in a jail is within 90 days of release because so much about their length of confinement remains unknown. …
“The 1115 Waiver Demonstration Projects may enable entire jail populations to be covered by Medicaid, an unprecedented development in correctional healthcare.”
Read the full story at NationalMemo.com.
(Photo above by Arnold Gold / Journal Register Co.)
In our 10th anniversary year, JustLeadershipUSA’s work of educating, elevating, and empowering justice-impacted leaders continues and is growing even stronger!
This is going to be a very special time to look back on the past decade of JLUSA’s important work, the 1,600+ leaders we have helped get to the next level in their work, and even more importantly, we will look ahead to the next 10 years and beyond!
We can’t do this without you. We need your support to help us continue to do this work now and into the future. By making a donation in honor of JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, you are saying to the amazing leaders in our network who represent the 70+ million Americans who have been directly impacted by the criminal legal system, “I see you, and I support you!”
Please give a one-time $100 gift or set up a recurring $10 monthly donation to celebrate JLUSA’s 10th anniversary year, and together we will build a fair and just U.S. Thank you!
Mail that includes checks only:
JUSTLEADERSHIPUSA, INC
P.O. Box 23681
New York, NY 10087-3681
All other mail:
P.O. Box 1730, New York, NY 10037
347.454.2195
© 2024 JustLeadershipUSA. All Rights Reserved.
JustLeadershipUSA is a non-partisan organization. The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed belong solely to the individual author or speaker, and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of the organization.
Since 2014, JustLeadershipUSA has maintained our commitment to ensuring systems-impacted voices are at the forefront of the movement for criminal legal reform, empowering directly impacted leaders in over 45 states with the tools, resources, and connections to transform their work.
Your donation will provide crucial support for our leadership training programs, empowering future generations of leaders and propelling the work of JLUSA and our alumni as we continue to advocate and push reform on issues that matter the most in our communities.
In just 10 years, JLUSA and our network of leaders have worked to dismantle decades of harm caused by the criminal legal system.