Inmate medical co-pay bill stalls
A bill that would have established a co-payment system for inmates requesting non-emergency medical visits was bracketed Jan. 19 at the request of the bill sponsor.
LB113, introduced by O’Neill Sen. Tyson Larson, would have allowed a county jail or the state Department of Correctional Services to charge up to $10 for every self-initiated, non-emergency visit to a health care provider.
Larson said Jan. 14 that 40 states and the federal government already have implemented inmate co-payment systems.
“In a world of rising health care costs, [LB113] can give at least some assistance to state and counties that are providing expensive medical care to inmates,” he said. “It ensures that [inmates] receive medical care and are not unduly punished in situations where medical care is necessary.”
Treatment for a chronic illness, emergency care of any kind and staff initiated care all were exempt from co-payment in the bill.
Omaha Sen. Ernie Chambers opposed LB113 and filed a motion to recommit the bill to committee.
“I will fight any bill that makes money on the sickness of people in [the counties’] care.”
Omaha Sen. Tanya Cook supported the motion, saying that a $10 co-payment represents a significant amount of money for many people.
“The prison population, while they have been convicted of charges through jury or judgments, disproportionately represent the poor in the United States,” she said. “When we talk about getting $10 [from an inmate’s account], it’s not because the person is earning $10 an hour within that facility. It’s also unlikely that they have family members and friends who have extra money to put into that [account].”
Sen. Matt Williams of Gothenburg said the bill would ease the current demand on correctional resources.
“In the last six months, Dawson County has spent nearly $20,000 paying directly for [inmate health care] services. A significant number of these trips to medical facilities are not warranted by a real health issue,” Williams said. “[LB113] is an attempt to curb those unneeded trips, not an attempt to stop people from going to the doctor if it’s necessary.”
Omaha Sen. John McCollister supported the motion to recommit the bill to the Judiciary Committee.
“Conceptually, I support LB113. It would be a good way to control some of our health care expenses [as a state],” he said. “However it may not be worth the time and money some counties would have to devote to [its implementation].”
The motion to recommit LB113 to committee failed on a 16-23 vote.
Chambers filed several motions to delay a vote on the bill. The Legislature adjourned for the week before voting on them.
Upon reconvening Jan. 19, Larson requested that the bill be bracketed until April 20, effectively killing the bill for the session. There were no objections.
