NCJ Number
237690
Date Published
2011
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This paper addresses the implications for justice-involved adults of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) signed into law by President Obama in March 2010.
Abstract
The paper first considers the need for and barriers to health care for justice-involved adults. It then discusses how the PPACA expands justice-involved adults' eligibility for Medicaid and the specific health care services that will be made available. Also discussed are the requirements and exemptions specified in the legislation, as well as how enrollment occurs. Without insurance or adequate income to pay for health care services out-of-pocket, it is difficult for individuals returning to the community from incarceration to access medical services and prescription drugs. Consequently, chronic health conditions, which are prevalent among offenders, may deteriorate. This paper describes how the PPACA expands eligibility for Medicaid, sets guidelines for the minimum standard of services an insurance plan must provide, and creates public exchanges for buying health insurance when persons cannot afford insurance coverage offered in the private market. This paper poses and answers questions related to eligibility for Medicaid and guidelines for the minimum standard of services. The PPACA also establishes an individual requirement for most citizens and legal residents to have some minimum level of health insurance coverage (a "mandate"). Until the implementation of PPACA in January of 2014, no such mandate has existed. There are penalties for non-compliance as well as exemptions to this provision. This paper poses questions and presents answers related to individual requirements, exemptions, and enrollment from inmates' perspective. The paper recommends that State health and justice systems collaborate to influence upcoming decisions about the types of services that Medicaid will cover, the procedures for enrollment, and when enrollment can occur. 21 notes