Providing health care coverage for former inmates.

(1) Prisoners have a higher prevalence of behavioral health disorders and chronic and infectious disease than the general population. (2) Suspending, rather than terminating, an inmate's Medicaid eligibility during incarceration helps facilitate coverage upon parole. (3) Policymakers are working to connect former inmates to coverage as a way to increase access to needed health services, decrease admissions to hospitals and emergency rooms, and reduce recidivism.