Federally-Assisted Healthcare Coverage among Male State Prisoners with Chronic Health Problems.

ABSTRACT: Prisoners have higher rates of chronic diseases such as substance dependence, mental health conditions and infectious disease, as compared to the general population. We projected the number of male state prisoners with a chronic health condition who at release would be eligible or ineligible for healthcare coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). We used ACA income guidelines in conjunction with reported pre-arrest social security benefits and income from a nationally representative sample of prisoners to estimate the number eligible for healthcare coverage at release. There were 643,290 US male prisoners aged 18-64 with a chronic health condition. At release, 73% in Medicaid-expansion states would qualify for Medicaid or tax credits. In non-expansion states, 54% would qualify for tax

SUBMITTER: Rosen DL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4968827 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature