County officials tackle fixing loss of federal health benefits in jail

A task force made up of members of NACo and the National Sheriffs’ Association met Sunday to begin tackling a problem that sees people lose federal health benefits when they enter county jail.

Across the United States, county jails house the mentally ill and those with substance use disorders. When someone is arrested and is unable to make bail, they lose their federal healthcare benefits. Those people are often stuck in a revolving door, landing in jail after their health care is disrupted after losing their federal health benefits.