On March 23, 2010 President Barack
Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more
commonly known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Since that time there has been
great speculation on how implementation would impact not only the many
uninsured; but how access to health care services might impact our criminal
justice system. With an estimated 14 percent of men and 31 percent of
women in jail and state prison suffering from chronic and persistent mental
illness and an even higher percentage with a diagnosable substance abuse
disorder, the need for increased treatment services is well established.
Despite this, individual offenders and criminal justice systems have lacked the
resources to access intensive in/outpatient treatment, treatment alternatives
to incarceration or the medically tailored reentry services needed to improve
personal and public safety outcomes. While the ACA promises to provide millions
of indigent and working poor with access to medical and behavioral health
services, there is still great uncertainty around how justice populations will
be able to take advantage of this expanded coverage.
With ACA implementation unfolding
differently in every state, understanding how this new law may impact state and
local justice populations is complicated. In addition, with every state
standing up health insurance exchanges and more than half expanding Medicaid
eligibility (as of October 2013) there is the added complexity of each system’s
eligibility and coverage options. Information provided below is intended
to help keep justice system stakeholders informed on how ACA implementation may
impact justice systems and client populations.
ACA Criminal Justice Resources
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) --The Affordable Care Act
(ACA) and Justice-Involved Populations (Community Oriented
Correctional Health Services)
County Jails and the Affordable Care
Act: Enrolling Eligible Individuals in Health Coverage (National
Association of Counties)
Webinar/Presentation Resources
Expanding Treatment: How the
Affordable Care Act Can Impact Criminal Justice Systems (NCJA)
The Affordable Care Act:
Implications for the Criminal Justice System (Council on State Governments)
Preparing for Medicaid Expansion:
Ensuring Healthcare Access for Individuals with Criminal Justice Involvement
(Center for Healthcare Strategies)
Leveraging National Health Reform to
Reduce Ricidivism and Build Recovery (Center for Health and Justice at TASC)
On
March 23, 2010 President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient
Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as the
Affordable Care Act (ACA). Since that time there has been great
speculation on how implementation would impact not only the many
uninsured; but how access to health care services might impact our
criminal justice system. With an estimated 14 percent of men and 31
percent of women in jail and state prison suffering from chronic and
persistent mental illness and an even higher percentage with a
diagnosable substance abuse disorder, the need for increased treatment
services is well established. Despite this, individual offenders and
criminal justice systems have lacked the resources to access intensive
in/outpatient treatment, treatment alternatives to incarceration or the
medically tailored reentry services needed to improve personal and
public safety outcomes. While the ACA promises to provide millions of
indigent and working poor with access to medical and behavioral health
services, there is still great uncertainty around how justice
populations will be able to take advantage of this expanded coverage.
With ACA implementation unfolding differently in every state, understanding how this new law may impact state and local justice populations is complicated. In addition, with every state standing up health insurance exchanges and more than half expanding Medicaid eligibility (as of October 2013) there is the added complexity of each system’s eligibility and coverage options. Information provided below is intended to help keep justice system stakeholders informed on how ACA implementation may impact justice systems and client populations.
- See more at: http://ncja.org/issues-and-legislation/aca#sthash.wq7XB40o.dpuf
With ACA implementation unfolding differently in every state, understanding how this new law may impact state and local justice populations is complicated. In addition, with every state standing up health insurance exchanges and more than half expanding Medicaid eligibility (as of October 2013) there is the added complexity of each system’s eligibility and coverage options. Information provided below is intended to help keep justice system stakeholders informed on how ACA implementation may impact justice systems and client populations.
- See more at: http://ncja.org/issues-and-legislation/aca#sthash.wq7XB40o.dpuf
