Signing up prison inmates for Medicaid becomes priority in Ohio

Associated Press

LANCASTER, Ohio

Three Ohio agencies are pushing to get many inmates who are released from prison enrolled in Medicaid.

Agency officials were at the Southeastern Correctional Institution near Lancaster on July 27 to begin expanding Medicaid signups to men’s prisons, The Columbus Dispatch reported (http://bit.ly/1ex7oxG ). Officials plan to complete preliminary sign-ups at all state prisons by the end of next year.

About 900 inmates, mostly women, have been enrolled so far due to efforts by the state departments of Rehabilitation and Correction, Medicaid, and Mental Health and Addiction Services.

Medicaid is a federal-state program that helps pay for health care for the needy, aged, blind and disabled, and for low-income families with children.

Prisons chief Gary Mohr told the newspaper he thinks the program supports the state’s mission.

“I believe it will reduce the number of people returning to prison,” he said. “Our investment is in communities, not prison. I’m not going to build another damn prison.”