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Health Care Costs Rising as Prison Population Grows and Ages
Publication year:
1999
| Cataloged on:
Oct. 31, 2006
ANNOTATION: As prison populations grow, so does the cost of providing health care to inmates. People might question why inmates are given top-notch medical care. The reason lies in a 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision that found prison inmates to have a constitutional right to health care (the only Americans with such a right). Compounding this situation are increasing numbers of incarcerated individuals due to "get-tough-on-crime laws." This article describes the elements to increasing health care costs, managed care in prisons, and prison medical co-payments.