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Prisoner healthcare co-payment policy

A cost-cutting measure that might threaten inmates’ health

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Abstract

Cost-effective provision of adequate healthcare to prisoners is a core problematic issue in contemporary correctional healthcare settings. An increasingly popular policy for reducing prison healthcare costs is prisoner co-payment systems for health services. Advocates of this policy assert that it facilitates efficient healthcare delivery in prison settings. This article examines the appropriateness and consequences of prisoner healthcare co-payment systems in US prisons. In conclusion, the policy has a strong potential to compromise prisoners’ access to healthcare, while not significantly reducing prison healthcare costs. Alternative approaches for improving the efficiency of prison healthcare services are suggested, and implications for Australia are considered.

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Notes

  1. 1The conversion factor for this estimate was obtained using the Consumer Price Index 2005 from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, available from URL: http://www.abs.gov.au/Ausstats/abs%40.nsf/e8ae5488b598839cca25682000131612/938da570a34a8edaca2568a900139350!OpenDocument.

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Acknowledgements

The author has no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this article. This study was entirely self-funded.

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  1. School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia

    Niyi Awofeso

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  1. Niyi Awofeso
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Awofeso, N. Prisoner healthcare co-payment policy. Appl Health Econ Health Policy 4, 159–164 (2005). https://doi.org/10.2165/00148365-200504030-00004

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