Upping Inmate Co-Pays Will Bring Unintended Consequences, Unforeseen Potential Savings
Menard Correctional Center
State Rep. Emily McAsey, a Democrat from Lockport, thought she had a good idea.
And what does a relatively new legislator do with a new idea…especially if you are a lawyer, as McAsey is?
You have it drafted into a bill.
McAsey’s bill would increase the inmate co-pay for non-emergency medical visits from $2 go $5 a visit.
$336,000 extra money coming in from prisoners is the claim.
Second-term State Rep. Emily McAsey
But wait.
Might not the higher co-pay have a significant affect on utilization?
When a co-pay of $2 was imposed, how much less medical service was rendered?
If significant, did the costs for the outside medical providers decrease proportionately?
$2 represented 20% or a prisoner’s monthly income, one inmate has let me know.
It seems conceivable that more than doubling the co-pay will cut utilization even more.
So, the higher co-pay might lead to the delivery of significantly lower amounts of medical care.
If so, shouldn’t the outside vendor be paid significantly less?
