Vermont and several other states are asking federal regulators to approve the use of Medicaid funds for health-care services to prisoners shortly before their release, setting up a debate over how much flexibility the states should have in running their Medicaid programs.
Approval by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services would mark the first break in the firewall that has kept Medicaid out of prisons, and would address the problem of interrupted care faced by newly released prisoners suffering from chronic illnesses, mental health problems, or substance use disorder as they transition to life beyond bars, some advocates say. ...