Livingston Today

The Michigan House of Representatives recently passed a resolution that calls for changes to inmate Medicaid rules.

House Resolution 93, introduced by state Rep. Hank Vaupel (R-Fowlerville), is a request of sorts for the federal government to adopt new Medicaid policies that will allow prison and jail inmates to retain Medicaid coverage that they were receiving prior to incarceration.

“In Michigan, the prison population is hanging right around 41,000,” Vaupel told Livingson Today. “So the people coming in…a lot of them are on Medicaid when they come in…a person who is incarcerated cannot receive Medicaid.”

Michigan Rep. Hank Vaupel (R-Fowlerville) | Michigan House Republicans

Current federal policy proscribes Medicaid payments for inmate medical services regardless if they had been enrolled before entering prison, reported a press release posted on Rep. Vaupel’s webpage.

He said that 95 percent of Michigan’s prisoners are eligible to receive Medicaid coverage but after they complete their sentence, Medicaid does not pick up where it left off.

“They go into a whole new system of treatment and then when they cycle out, they’ve got to cycle out and get back on Medicaid,” Vaupel said. “We’re asking a population that has that much mental issue(s), that much drug issue(s) to navigate those waters on their own.”

He also said it undermines the continuity and effectiveness of the treatment they had been receiving before incarceration. Many of the imprisoned offenders suffer from drug addiction and mental health problems, and prison or county health services they receive aren’t the same as the care provided by their prior Medicaid coverage. He said this sets up a perfect recidivism cycle for the 37 percent of Michigan’s prison population that is afflicted with mental health issues.

“By the time they get back on Medicaid and get on medical treatment for either physical or mental issues, a lot of them have been off their normal medication,” Vaupel said.

He further said the human savings would be enormous through the retention of individuals who would contribute to society and their families in a productive manner.

Support for Vaupel’s resolution was nearly unanimous. He said that more than 100 of the 110 state representatives voted in favor of it.

The resolution will go to the House speaker, Senate president and members of the state's congressional delegation.