Counties nationwide annually invest $176 billion in community health systems and justice and public safety services, including the entire cost of medical care for all arrested and detained individuals
Counties are required by federal law to provide adequate health care for approximately 10.6 million individuals who pass through 3,100 local jails each year with an average length of stay of 25 days
Medicaid is the single largest source of funding for behavioral health services in the United States, and the number of inmates who are eligible for health coverage has increased as more states have accepted Medicaid expansion
More than 95 percent of prisoners eventually return to the community, bringing their health conditions with them. However, in many states, federal benefits are completely terminated instead of being suspended, and it can take months for former inmates to reenroll and regain their benefits following reentry
Having access to federal health benefits while awaiting trial and presumed innocent aligns with an individual’s constitutional rights
Access to federal health benefits for non-convicted individuals would allow for improved coordination of care, and also decrease short-term costs to local taxpayers and long-term costs to the federal government
Providing access to federal health benefits for those awaiting trial and verdict decisions would help counties break the cycle of recidivism caused or exacerbated by untreated mental illness and/or substance use disorders, thereby improving public safety
