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Because of the Affordable Care Act (ACA),
ex-convicts will be eligible for Medicaid upon release from prison beginning in
2014. Medicaid is the federal-state health insurance partnership that covers
children, pregnant women, and disabled adults with low income. States that
agree to the Medicaid expansion will begin providing Medicaid to all
non-elderly low-income adults in 2014; states can opt out of the Medicaid
expansion.
Approximately 650,000 inmates leave
US prisons each year. ACA will also extend Medicaid to a “sizeable portion” of
nearly five million ex-prisoners on parole or probation. Ex-prisoners whose
income from employment is too high for Medicaid will still qualify for federal
tax credits for health insurance through state insurance exchanges.
In general, the prison population has
worse health than the overall US population, with higher rates of TB, HIV,
hepatitis, asthma, hypertension, diabetes, addiction, and mental illness,
according to a 2007 New England Journal of Medicine study. Typically, prisoners
receive health screenings upon admission and health care services throughout
incarceration. After release, ex-convicts with no access to health care
frequently discontinue treatment for chronic conditions and rely on the
emergency room for care—an expensive form of health care. Ex-convicts have much
higher mortality rates than the general population; cardiovascular disease and
drug overdose are the leading causes of death for ex-prisoners.
Those who advocate for ex-convicts
believe that access to health care will make it possible to improve health
outcomes for the population, reduce medical costs, and perhaps prevent
prisoners from returning to crime. The federal Mental Health and Addiction
Equity Act will also help ex-convicts since it requires insurers to provide
benefits for mental health and substance treatment in addition to medical and
surgical services.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
