Copayments for Inmate Health Care: Do Personal Assets and Health Predict Utilization?

• In Event: Health Care Programs in Prisons

Abstract

Although research has found that requiring inmates to pay fees for medical service decreases use, there are still important unanswered questions about this association: 1) How often to inmates avoid seeking medical attention due to the copayment fee? 2) What individual factors predict the utilization of self-initiated medical care by inmates? The current research sought to address these gaps by providing an examination of how common inmates indicated the copayment was a barrier to seek treatment and what individual factors were related pursuing the care of a medical professional. Using survey data collected in 2012 from 45 inmates housed in a maximum security prison on the East Coast, it was discovered that over 70% of the inmates reported avoiding medical services at least once in the past three months due to the five dollar copayment, many multiple times. Further, participants with higher levels of education were significantly less likely to indicate the co-payment fee was a barrier, relative to those with lower levels of education. Other individual factors correlated with avoiding medical attention included, poor health, low account balance, lack of a prison job, and not receiving financial support from family/friends. Lastly, potential explanations and policy suggestions are discussed.

Authors

• Brian Wyant, La Salle University

• Holly Harner, La Salle University