One way the sheriffs in Alabama do so is by placing sick prisoners on medical bond, where they release inmates who do not have Medicaid or insurance to cover their medical bills. Thus, the sheriff's office would be financially responsible.
Some sheriffs really push the issue, as with a woman prisoner who the dispatcher said to the sheriff, “We are going to have to do something with Tracie because she is throwing up everywhere. … Her blood pressure is at 183 over 113. I don’t have a county unit available to carry her to the hospital.” The sheriff's response, “See if she had insurance, if she had Medicaid.” This, despite the fact that the nearest hospital was only 1½ miles away.
Inmates suffering heart attacks, on the verge of diabetic comas and brutalized in jail beatings have been released so sheriffs wouldn’t have to pay for their medical care. Some were rearrested once they had recovered.
No comments:
Post a Comment