Medicaid and Corrections
Recent Medicaid guidance and legislative developments offer new opportunities for correctional leaders to leverage Medicaid to enhance outcomes for people who are incarcerated. With the passage of the SUPPORT Act, the Consolidated Appropriations Acts of 2023 and 2024, and new guidance around the Medicaid Section 1115 Reentry Demonstration Opportunity, prisons and jails have more opportunities to work with their state Medicaid agencies to support individuals not only during incarceration but also during the critical transition from incarceration to the community.
This webpage provides a curated list of resources to support correctional leaders in taking full advantage of these new opportunities.
Approved and Pending Medicaid Section 1115 Reentry Demonstrations
The landscape of Medicaid, corrections, and reentry is evolving, with a growing emphasis on integrated care, services for young people, and tailored reentry services and support. Emerging trends highlight the importance of health care and related services in correctional facilities, Medicaid enrollment for eligible individuals before release, and continuity of care after release. Below are resources to help correctional leaders gain a better understanding of the current landscape and emerging trends.
- State Waivers List, Medicaid.gov
- Lists all current and concluded state programs authorized under 1115 demonstrations and waiver authorities.
- Medicaid Waiver Tracker: Approved and Pending Section 1115 Waivers by State, Kaiser Family Foundation
- Tracks approved and pending Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waivers and highlights key themes in approved and pending waivers.
- Section 1115 Waiver Watch: Medicaid Pre-Release Services for People Who Are Incarcerated, Kaiser Family Foundation
- Reviews CMS guidance and summarizes key features of approved 1115 reentry demonstrations in states so far.
- Paving the Path to Healthier Reentry: How New Medicaid Policies Can Improve Mental Health and Substance Use Support as People Return to Communities, Health and Reentry Project, October 2023
- Outlines changes being made in specific states through Medicaid demonstration waiver authority that focus on providing services at reentry.
- Webinar: Medicaid 1115 Justice Waivers and Special Populations: Meeting the Needs of Justice-Involved Youth, Health Management Associates, August 17, 2023
- Explores effective state models for youth involved in the justice system and taking a whole-person approach to the health needs of young people in correctional settings.
- Report: Medicaid Section 1115 Waivers and Other Mechanisms to Support Service Expansion for Individuals with Substance Use Disorder and/or Justice System Involvement, Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program (COSSUP), August 2023
- Details the efforts of 11 states to expand Medicaid services for people with substance use disorders and people involved in the justice system and highlights the use of Section 1115 waivers and other strategies to improve health care access, continuity of care, and support reentry into the community.
- Guide: Health and Reentry 101: Improving Health Outcomes for People Leaving Jails and Prisons, Center for Health Care Strategies, August 1, 2023
- Provides a brief overview of top suggestions based on lessons learned from California’s experience.
- Guide: CalAIM Explained: Caring for Californians Leaving Incarceration, Center for Health Care Strategies, July 2023
- Provides a detailed exploration of lessons learned from California’s 1115 Reentry Waiver demonstration project.
- Access to Medicaid Coverage and Care for Adults Leaving Incarceration, Medicaid and CHIP Payment and Access Commission, June 2023
- Discusses the health-related social needs of people returning to the community after incarceration, state efforts to improve access to care, and key considerations for implementing pre-release Medicaid services.
- Issue Brief: Breaking Ground: How California Is Using Medicaid to Improve the Health of People Leaving Incarceration, Health and Reentry Project, May 2023
- Describes the reforms in California and examines the potential impact, anticipated implementation issues, and implications for other states.
- Press Release: HHS Approves California’s Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) Demonstration Authority to Support Care for Justice-Involved People, HHS, January 26, 2023
- Details the approval of California’s Medicaid and CHIP demonstration to support individuals returning home from jails and prisons.
- Details the approval of California’s Medicaid and CHIP demonstration to support individuals returning home from jails and prisons.
