California's Justice-Involved Medicaid Initiatives: Good on Paper but No Bite?

• Pages: 15-31
• Date: 01 February 2025
• Published date: 01 February 2025
• Author: Matthew Halverson
• Subject Matter: Administrative & Public Law

The Healt h Lawyer The Health Lawyer | February 2025

California’s Justice-Involved Medicaid Initiatives:

Good on Paper but No Bite?

Matthew Halverson

Feb 19, 2 025 13 min read

Summary

Individuals transitioning out of incarceration face multiple challenges to obtaining

and maintaining healthcare coverage.

Justice-impacted individuals face significant issues, including enrolling and

reenrolling into health coverage, as well as barriers in the coordination of health and

behavioral services in the community, transitions between programs and services,

gaps in eligibility, and administrative barriers.

The CalAIM Justice-Involved reentry initiatives attempt to address these challenges,

but the program also has some shortcomings.

PictureLake via Getty Images

California incarcerates approximately 494 per 100,000 people in prisons, jails, immigration

detention, and juvenile justice Incarcerated individuals face many behavioral

health challenges while incarcerated. For example, the number of incarcerated individuals

in California jails with active mental health conditions rose by 63% in the last

Moreover, 66% of Californians in jails or prisons have moderate or high need for

substance use disorder and overdose is the leading cause of death for

people recently released from Individuals incarcerated in California

have an overdose rate that is more than three times the rate of incarcerated people

Transitioning out of incarceration, individuals released from corrections facilities

(hereinafter referred to as carceral facilities) face multiple challenges to obtaining and

maintaining healthcare These individuals face significant issues, including

enrolling and reenrolling into health coverage through Medicaid, Medicare, and other

private coverage such as an employer-based Moreover, justice-impacted

individuals face barriers in the coordination of health and behavioral services in the

community, transitions between programs and services (probation/parole, county

behavioral health and health agencies, and other service providers), gaps in eligibility

when transitioning between programs, and administrative barriers to entering and/or

reinstating healthcare benefits (e.g., application processing, eligibility, timeline

requirements, and other administrative

facilities.

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decade.

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treatment,

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incarceration.

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nationwide.

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coverage.

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coverage.

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burdens).

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