The Senate Corrections and Criminal Law Committee heard SB 212, Sen. Miller’s bill on inmates and Medicaid. The bill authorizes the Department of Correction to act as an inmate’s representative for Medicaid and to authorize a sheriff to act as Medicaid representative for persons detained in the jail pending trial. Testimony was received about the amounts the State and counties will save on medical care by having incarcerated or detained individuals receive Medicaid assistance. The bill was amended to clarify that a DOC-represented individual must be either serving a sentence in a DOC facility or in a county jail. The bill passed as amended 9-0.
Read the bill at http://iga.in.gov/legislative/2015/bills/senate/212.