Medicaid and the criminal justice system share responsibility for providing health care to Medicaid enrollees who are involved in the justice system. MACPAC has examined the health needs of justice-involved adults but the Commission has not yet explored the specific needs of justice-involved youth. Federal law generally prohibits states from receiving federal matching funds for services provided to individuals who are eligible for Medicaid or the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) while they are incarcerated.
In this session, staff revisited the Commission’s prior chapter on adults in criminal justice system before introducing new work on justice-involved youth. The session explores the health needs of and access to care for justice-involved youth and Medicaid’s evolving role in covering services for youth who are detained, incarcerated, or recently released from carceral settings.
