A GUIDE TO ACCESSING MEDICAL CARE: INSIDE AND OUT BY MICAELA LINDER Director of Research The Fortune Society
“The following guide provides suggestions for how to navigate some of the challenges you might face trying to access adequate healthcare, both while incarcerated and after release from jail or prison.”
Even though the United States spends $8.1 billion on healthcare in prisons, access to adequate care can still be challenging. People with justice involvement have higher rates of cancer, heart disease, traumatic brain injuries, chronic conditions, and infectious diseases, than people in the general population. Among incarcerated people with persistent medical problems, 12.9% in federal facilities, 20.1% in state facilities, and 68.1% in local jails reported receiving no medical examination since incarceration; and following serious injury, 7.7% of people in federal facilities, 12% of people in state facilities, and 24.7% in jails were not attended to by medical personnel. Additionally, every stage of interacting with the criminal justice system can lead to lapses in access to insurance coverage, medication, and medical records, compromising individuals’ ability to be healthy. The following guide provides suggestions for how to navigate some of the challenges you might face trying to access adequate healthcare, both while incarcerated and after release from jail or prison. VOLUME LII • FEBRUARY 2020
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