With at least 35 states authorizing copays and other medical service fees at jails, prisoners may have copayments ranging from a few dollars to $100, according to npr.
Here are five things to know:
1. Several local governments and state mandate copayments for emergency treatment and hospitalizations as well as routine care at jails.
2. The copayment requirements reflect a broader trend of charging inmates for prison services. More than 50 percent of states allow prisoners to be charged room and board.
3. Prison officials hope the fees will minimize demand for services as well as raise money for the facilities.
4. The mandated fee may prevent prisoners from seeking care for chronic conditions or communicable diseases that may spread throughout the prison. While incarcerated, 68 percent of local jail inmates, 20 percent of state prison inmates and 14 percent of federal prison inmates did not receive a medical exam.
5. By 2011, state spending on prison healthcare reached $7.7 billion, with increases of more than 13 percent in half of states.
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