Inmate health care costs double since 2001, report shows

Inmate health care costs double since 2001, report shows

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SALT LAKE CITY — A new report shows Utah is spending 100 percent more on health care for inmates than it did in 2001.

The Pew Charitable Trusts report shows spending on prisoner health care increased in 42 states between 2001 and 2008, with a median growth of 52 percent.

Utah is one of four states in which health care costs for inmates doubled in that time frame. Prisoners who are older and serving longer sentences are a big reason.

Utah taxpayers fund care for chronic and infectious diseases among inmates, for treatment of mental health issues and addictions, plus transportation to hospitals.

The report points out other states are saving money by expanding telehealth services, which use video conferencing between an off-site doctor and a prisoner, and Medicaid.

Reasons for rising costs
  • Aging inmate populations
  • Prevalence of infectious and chronic diseases, mental illness, and substance abuse among inmates
  • Challenges inherent in delivering health care in prisons

Utah now has a geriatric unit at the state prison for aging inmates and has looked at getting Medicaid coverage for prisoners, to pass some of the cost on to the federal government.

For the survey, Pew analyzed inflation-adjusted correctional health care expenditures collected by the U.S. Department of Justice from 44 states that participated. Those not included in the study are Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, New Mexico, Vermont, Wyoming and Washington, D.C.

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Mary Richards

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