The National Association of Counties (NACo) President and San
Diego County Supervisor, Greg Cox, and The National Sheriff’s
Association (NSA) Executive Director and CEO, Jonathan Thompson,
recently announced the creation of a joint task force to examine
the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy (MEIP). The task force will
include NACo and NSA members representing county leaders, law
enforcement, judges, prosecutors, public defenders, and
behavioral health and veterans’ services departments, exploring
the impacts of the national behavioral health crisis, the MIEP,
and recidivism.
The MEIP is another barrier to health care access in California
and throughout the nation. The policy excludes federal health and
veterans’ benefits from individuals upon being admitted to jail,
benefits these individuals would otherwise be eligible to.
Research has shown the importance of the role of health care
access within the justice system, particularly in light
of the rates of incarceration for individuals diagnosed
with mental health and substance use disorders. The task force
will focus on providing recommendations and solutions to Congress
and the Administration on decreasing recidivism and overall
health outcomes of local jail inmates.
For a decade, CSAC has worked closely with NACo on inmate
Medicaid issues, such as the MEIP, and is pleased to see
California representation on this task force, including Los
Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger; San Diego County
Director of Health and Human Services Agency, Nick Macchione; and
San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon.
