New York Requests CMS Waiver to Expand Medicaid to Some Inmates

ANCOR is sharing this article by Politico Pulse because the request it describes could potentially set precedent for people with intellectual / developmental disabilities (I/DD) in the prison system. One in three jail inmates report having a cognitive disability, of which I/DD is a subset. The waiver discussed below seeks to remedy a challenge facing  certain inmates as they leave the prison system.

As written in Politico Pulse:

“New York: State seeks permission to expand Medicaid to some inmates. The state wants the Trump administration to allow inmates with substance abuse diagnoses and certain other conditions to receive Medicaid 30 days before their release from state prisons and county jails, POLITICO’s Dan Goldberg reports.

The first-of-its kind Medicaid waiver, now open for public comment, would be limited to inmates who have two or more chronic conditions, a serious mental illness such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, HIV/AIDS or an opioid use disorder — criteria that cover almost half the 207,000 inmates released each year, according to state officials.

— Why New York is pushing for it: Gov. Andrew Cuomo believes the move will help keep people from overdosing on the streets and out of emergency rooms.”