The Gazette
FORT MADISON, Iowa — Iowa is among states that do not seek Medicaid reimbursement for inmate hospitalizations, but that may change next year as the pool of eligible inmates increases, officials said.
Iowa is unique in that nearly all prison inmates who are hospitalized go to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. Sick and pregnant inmates are housed at the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville, where they can be quickly shuttled to the UI Hospitals.
UI Hospitals doesn’t bill the Iowa Department of Corrections for inmate medical care, which costs between $5 million and $7 million a year. The hospital eats most of these costs now because only pregnant, disabled or elderly people qualify for Medicaid. Some inmates also refuse to sign the Medicaid application, Hospital spokesman Tom Moore said.
But starting Jan. 1, single adults – including inmates – can be eligible for Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. This expansion means states like Iowa have more to gain by submitting Medicaid claims for inmate hospitalizations, said Iowa Medicaid Director Jennifer Vermeer.
“It’s an area we need to pursue further,” she said.
Full story: Iowa may seek Medicaid reimbursement for inmate hospitalizations