Blackwell: More Dollars For Inmate Medical Care

State Rep. Gus Blackwell says the Legislature should provide more money to the Department of Corrections to pay the medical costs of state inmates held in county jails.

The DOC decided last year that state law requires it to pay only for emergency medical care for state inmates while they're in county jails and it stopped paying for non-emergency care.

Blackwell says the department is correct in paying only emergency medical costs but wants the law changed. He says county jails face a financial burden in paying for health care for state inmates held in county jails. The state pays counties $27 a day for housing state inmates but county officials say it costs them $35 a day to keep the inmates.

Share |