Federal authorities allow Oregon to offer Medicaid services to people behind bars • Oregon Capital Chronicle

Federal officials have approved Oregon’s request to offer free Medicaid substance abuse and certain other services to people about to be released from prison, which is prohibited by federal law.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced that Oregon will offer the new program, along with Illinois, Kentucky, Utah and Vermont. The states join California, Massachusetts, Montana and Washington, which were the first to pilot programs offering some Medicaid services to people about to be released.

Inmates who meet Medicaid’s low-income income limits will be eligible for coverage 90 days before their release from jail, prison or state or federal prison. They will be eligible for laboratory and radiology services as well as mental health assessments, medications to prevent people from using opioids and some mental health medications targeting serious illnesses.

People who are imprisoned lose their Medicaid coverage and must reapply once they are released. This creates gaps in health care. Studies show that people who are imprisoned have higher rates of physical and mental illness than the general population, including high blood pressure, asthma, tuberculosis, hepatitis B and C, and HIV, as well as higher rates of premature death from infectious and chronic diseases, drug use, and suicide.

“For people involved in the justice system, ensuring a successful transition back to the community means having the health supports and services they need,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said in a statement.

The program aims to provide people with a smooth transition to health care as they re-enter the community and try to rebuild their lives. Screening for mental health issues while they are still behind bars should help them get counseling or other treatment more quickly upon their release.

“Fifty percent of all people incarcerated in Oregon prisons have been diagnosed with a disability or mental illness, making uninterrupted care truly important,” Amy Bacher, a spokeswoman for the Oregon Health Authority, said in a statement.

Lawmakers tackle the problem

The approval of the programme follows the adoption of Bill 4002 The bill provides $211 million to combat drug addiction, including creating new diversion programs for people charged with possession of small amounts of illegal substances. It also provides $10 million to screen people incarcerated for opioid addiction and treat them with medication so they can stabilize their lives and continue their recovery once they are released.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, about 65 percent of people behind bars have an addiction problem, but they often go untested or untreated. The $10 million allocation — and the newly approved Medicaid program — are aimed at addressing that problem. Democratic Rep. Pam Marsh of Ashland, who led the push in the legislature to provide medication-assisted treatment for opioid use in prisons, welcomed the program’s approval.

“I am pleased with the approval of the Medicaid waiver, which will ensure the long-term sustainability of opioid treatment in our prisons,” Marsh told the Capital Chronicle. “These services are essential if we are to break the cycle of addiction, crime and incarceration – and save lives in the process.”

Opioid overdoses have skyrocketed in Oregon in recent years with the spread of fentanyl, which can be deadly in small doses and is mixed into counterfeit opioid pills that sell on the street for as little as a dollar. According to the Oregon Health Authority, 280 people died in Oregon from fatal opioid overdoses in 2019. That number has climbed to about 1,050 in 2023.

The Medicaid program marks an attempt by the Biden administration to address the national drug addiction crisis.

“Expanding access to lifesaving treatment and recovery supports for incarcerated people is a critical part of our bipartisan efforts to defeat the overdose epidemic and save lives,” Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy, said in a statement.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said thousands of people would benefit from the newly approved programs in the five states, but it’s unclear how many will qualify in Oregon. The Oregon Health Authority did not respond to a question about that. Oregon has county jails across the state, a federal prison that houses more than 1,500 men, 12 state prisons for about 12,000 adults ages 18 to 91 and 35 youths ages 18 to 24 who are locked up.

The cost is also unknown, but most of it will come from federal coffers. The federal government funds about 60% of Medicaid, while the state pays the rest.

The health authority did not say when the program would launch.

“We will work on implementation timelines and work extensively with the prison community to be ready for this,” Bacher said in the statement.