The Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) recently
released a report Expanding
Health Coverage in California: County Jails as Enrollment
Sites. The report takes a look at millions of state residents
who continue to lack full health coverage, those who remain
uninsured and those who may be difficult to enroll in the
Affordable Care Act (ACA) program. PPIC found that uninsured
rates are highest for young men and for those with low levels of
education, income, and employment.
These same characteristics are prevalent among state and local
correctional populations suggesting that the justice system may
offer points of contact for many hard to reach uninsured
individuals. Outreach and enrollment efforts aimed at local jail
populations are set within the policy context of California’s
2011 Public Safety Realignment, which created incentives and
resources for county jails to promote positive reentry outcomes.
Nearly all counties are establishing programs to provide ACA
enrollment assistance to jail inmates thus improving reentry
results. Because resources and capacity are limited, it is
necessary to identify effective models that maximize the
potential of county jails as sites of insurance enrollment.
