U.S. Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) on May 30 touted his bipartisan bill to amend the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy (MIEP), which currently denies Medicaid coverage to all incarcerated individuals, to allow coverage for pre-trial detainees.
“As we know, with opioid addiction, it is so important for people who are receiving treatment to have continuity of care so there’s not a disruption in service and perhaps a relapse that can result in us losing them to our community and their families,” the congressman said during a press conference at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in Dayton, OH to discuss the Due Process Continuity of Care Act, H.R. 3074.
Rep. Turner on May 2 signed on as the lead original cosponsor of H.R. 3074, which is sponsored by U.S. Rep. David Trone (D-MD) to amend the Social Security Act to remove the Medicaid coverage exclusion for inmates in custody pending disposition of charges, according to the text of the bill.
Among the 15 other original cosponsors who joined Rep. Turner in introducing the bill was U.S. Reps. Don Bacon (R-NE), Stephanie Bice (R-OK), and Dave Joyce (R-OH).
“This bill is endorsed by the National Sheriffs Association, the National Association of Counties, the American Parole and Probation Association, and the Anti-Recidivism Coalition,” said Rep. Turner. “Many of those in law enforcement are supporting this bill because they understand that those who’ve been incarcerated have not yet been convicted of a crime and do not deserve to be punished while they’re incarcerated.”
During the press conference, Rep. Turner was joined by Montgomery County Sheriff Rob Streck and Clark County Sheriff Deb Burchett.
“I want to personally extend a huge thank you to Congressman Turner for continuing to fight for this legislation and all of the other important things that he does for our community 365 days a year,” Streck said. “The Due Process Continuity of Care Act is vital for pretrial inmates. It’s vital for our taxpayers’ pocketbooks. It’s just that simple. So it’s time to get this bill passed.”
“Every day, we’re dealing with violence in our jails now that we would never deal with before. But that’s basically because of the fact that we don’t get their medicine to them as quickly as we possibly could if they were still on Medicaid,” added Burchett. “So, I can’t thank Congressman Turner enough for standing up for us and what he is doing for us. It is just absolutely wonderful.”
If enacted, H.R. 3074 would authorize $50 million in planning grant dollars for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary to award to states with the goal of providing additional support to states, counties, and local jails for implementing this policy, improving the quality of care provided in jails, and enhancing the number of available providers to treat this population, according to a bill summary provided by Rep. Turner’s staff.
The measure is under consideration in the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee.