Medicaid insurance policy for youths involved in the criminal justice system.
Juvenile justice and Medicaid agencies share an interest in serving delinquent youths, many of whom have a relatively poor health status. However, many state and local Medicaid policies result in these youths having no insurance coverage, making access to needed services difficult. A nationally representative survey of state and community juvenile justice and Medicaid agencies was conducted to assess Medicaid policies. Evidence from the survey suggests that in some areas delinquent youths are actively disenrolled from Medicaid benefits, and in others little effort is made to connect them to Medicaid coverage. Discrepancies between justice agency and Medicaid agency responses point to poor communication and coordination. Overall, the survey identified several opportunities for policy intervention to enhance access to services for justice-involved youths.
Evans Cuellar
Alison
A
Department of Health Policy & Management, Columbia University, 600 W 168th St, 6th Floor, New York, NY 10032, USA. ac2068@columbia.edu
Kelleher
Kelly J
KJ
Rolls
Jennifer A
JA
Pajer
Kathleen
K
D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D003142:Communication; D003416:Criminal Law / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006291:Health Policy; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000191:economics; D006302:Health Services Research; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D019458:Insurance Coverage / Q000458:organization & administration*; D007373:Interinstitutional Relations; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000191:economics*; D008484:Medicaid / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013221:State Health Plans / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States