Governor Andy Beshear expands health care coverage for incarcerated adults and juveniles
FRANKFORT, Ky. – On Monday, Governor Andy Beshear announced that, through Medicaid funding, some eligible adults and juveniles will continue to receive physical and mental healthcare and addiction services up to one year after their release from state custody. This comes as Gov. Beshear announced a second straight year of a declining recidivism rate.
“Providing services like health care to adults and juveniles who have paid their debt to society will help reduce recidivism, decrease overdose deaths, boost our workforce and make our commonwealth safer” Governor Beshear said.
The Department of Corrections, Department of Juvenile Justice and Department for Medicaid Services are continuing to work together to determine the eligibility of individuals as they reach their release date. Those who are deemed eligible will begin to receive screenings prior to their release to determine their physical and mental health. Once enrolled, individuals will be provided with a year of Medicaid coverage, as well as a one-month supply of medications that they were prescribed while incarcerated.
Beshear’s office says that healthcare is a vital second-chance resource and that without it, the crime rate increases. His office also says that studies also show that increasing access to health insurance and health care will have numerous positive public safety and public health impacts on newly released individuals, their families and their communities.
“Leaving incarceration can be a vulnerable time as individuals navigate various systems and rebuild their lives. Maintaining access to care, whether it be ongoing behavioral health and addiction treatment or other health needs, is an essential piece of reentry success” said Dr. Steven Stack, secretary for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
In February, Beshear announced a second straight year of a decline in the recidivism rate in Kentucky, with around 70% of those released from custody not returning.
