Latest News On Prison Health Care

Latest KFF Health News Stories

When Prisons Need To Be More Like Nursing Homes

KFF Health News Original

By 2030, nearly one-third of all inmates will be over 55, the ACLU says, and caring for aged prisoners often costs twice as much as caring for younger ones. Some states – New York, California and Connecticut — are confronting the problem, however, with innovative programs meant to improve care and save money.

Illinois Gov.’s Proposed Cuts To Mental Health Care Could Raise Costs, Critics Say

KFF Health News Original

Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget plan to reduce funds for psychiatry, housing programs for the homeless and care coordinators for the mentally ill could send people to hospitals, nursing homes and jails where treatment costs are higher, providers say.

By The Numbers: Mental Illness Behind Bars

KFF Health News Original

There are now three times more people with serious mental illness incarcerated in the United States than in hospitals, and the types of behavioral and mental health problems among inmates are becoming more severe.

Report: Jails House 10 Times More Mentally Ill Than State Hospitals

KFF Health News Original

In 44 states and the District of Columbia, at least one prison or jail holds more people with serious mental illnesses than the largest state psychiatric hospital, according to a report released Tuesday by the Treatment Advocacy Center and the National Sheriffs’ Association. Across the country, an estimated 356,268 people with mental illnesses including bipolar […]

Medicaid Expansion To Cover Many Former Prisoners

KFF Health News Original

The Department of Justice estimates former inmates and detainees will comprise about 35 percent of the people who will qualify for Medicaid coverage in the states expanding their programs.

Schizophrenia, Suicide And One Family’s Anguish

KFF Health News Original

Homer Bell was 54 years old when he committed suicide in April in a very public way — he laid down in front of a bus in his hometown of Hartford, Conn. It was the culmination of three decades of suffering endured by Bell and his family because of his illness, schizophrenia. Harold Schwartz, the […]

Medicaid Expansion Will Open Doors To Care for Ex-Convicts

KFF Health News Original

Extending benefits to ex-offenders will provide health coverage to a group that is generally in worse health than the overall population. Researchers say it could also keep some from sliding back into crime.

Oklahoma Looks for Ways to Keep Mentally Ill Ex-offenders Out of Prison

KFF Health News Original

Oklahoma prisoners with mental illnesses face a myriad of obstacles in rejoining society, but a state program seeks to reintroduce them to society, keep them on medication and save them from returning to prison.

Greg Millett: New HIV Infections Are Down, But ‘Much More’ To Be Done

KFF Health News Original

AIDS In 2012: Senior policy advisor in the Office of National AIDS Policy tells Joanne Silberner the president’s National HIV/AIDS Strategy has improved coordination among federal agencies and that the 2010 health law will improve access to care for those living with HIV/AIDS.

Unknowns In Sports Medicine; Shackling Pregnant Prisoners

KFF Health News Original

Every week, reporter Jessica Marcy selects interesting reading from around the Web. The New York Times: As Sports Medicine Surges, Hope And Hype Outpace Proven Treatments Medical experts say (that) multiple futile treatments is all too familiar and points to growing problems in sports medicine, a medical subspecialty that has been experiencing explosive growth. … […]

Nation’s Jails Struggle With Mentally Ill Prisoners

KFF Health News Original

More Americans receive mental health treatment in prisons and jails than in hospitals or treatment centers, yet the criminal justice system was never built to handle people with mental illnesses. A judge in Miami-Dade County is trying to prevent those with mental illnesses who have committed minor crimes from ending up in jail.