To amend title XIX of the Social Security Act to remove the Medicaid coverage exclusion for inmates in custody pending disposition of charges, and for other purposes.
Sponsors
Legislative Progress
IntroducedMr. Turner of Texas (for himself, Mr. Turner of Ohio, …
Summary
What This Bill Does:
This bill aims to improve healthcare access for people awaiting trial by removing a Medicaid coverage exclusion for inmates in custody pending their court cases. It's trying to solve the problem of these individuals not having consistent healthcare while incarcerated.
Who Benefits and How:
- Inmates awaiting trial: They'll gain access to Medicaid-funded healthcare services while in jail, ensuring continuity of care.
- States: They can receive planning grants to prepare for this change, helping them ensure there are enough healthcare providers ready to serve this new population.
Who Bears the Burden and How:
- Taxpayers: While there's no direct cost mentioned, expanding Medicaid coverage may increase federal spending on healthcare, which could indirectly impact taxpayers.
- Jails: They might face additional administrative burdens in coordinating with healthcare providers for inmates now covered by Medicaid.
Key Provisions:
- Removes the Medicaid exclusion for inmates awaiting trial.
- Allows states to opt-in to provide Medicaid coverage for these individuals.
- Requires the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award planning grants to states to prepare for this change.
- Specifies that the amendments take effect on the first day of the first calendar quarter beginning 60 days after the bill's enactment.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Amends title XIX of the Social Security Act to remove the Medicaid coverage exclusion for inmates in custody pending disposition of charges.
Policy Domains
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "states"
- → State governments administering Medicaid programs
- "the_secretary"
- → Secretary of Health and Human Services
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
Grants awarded by the Secretary to States to support providing medical assistance under the State Medicaid program to inmates in custody pending disposition of charges.
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology