Medicaid and Incarcerated Individuals (CRS Report for Congress)
| Release Date |
Revised July 24, 2024 |
| Report Number |
IF11830 |
| Report Type |
In Focus |
| Authors |
Evelyne P. Baumrucker |
| Source Agency |
Congressional Research Service |
| Older Revisions |
-
Premium Revised Aug. 24, 2023 (2 pages, $24.95)
add
-
Premium May 12, 2021 (2 pages, $24.95)
add
|
Summary:
Medicaid is a joint federal-state means-tested entitlement
program that finances the delivery of primary and acute
medical services, as well as long-term services and
supports, for a diverse low-income population. States that
operate their programs within broad federal rules are
entitled to federal Medicaid matching funds. (See CRS
Report R43357, Medicaid: An Overview.)
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA; P.L.
111-48, as amended), and a subsequent Supreme Court
decision (National Federation of Independent Business v.
Sebelius), made it optional for states to expand Medicaid
coverage to non-elderly adults with income up to 133% of
the federal poverty level beginning in 2014. In states that
expanded Medicaid, many individuals transitioning into and
out of incarceration—a population that tends to have higher
rates of substance use disorder, mental illness, and chronic
disease than the general population—were eligible for
Medicaid for the first time. This In Focus describes how
incarceration can impact the availability of federal
Medicaid payment and an individual’s Medicaid coverage.
