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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Bill shifts health costs to inmates

Josh Wright Staff writer

BOISE – When Richard Butler had a heart attack while in jail in the late 1980s, Kootenai County paid for his $10,000 bypass surgery.

The former leader of the Aryan Nations was in custody, so the county had to foot the bill.

But if a measure sponsored by a freshman legislator from Post Falls succeeds, financially capable inmates, like Butler, would have to pay for their medical costs.

“Many inmates have money,” Republican Rep. Frank Henderson said. “But the property owners in the county end up paying.”

Henderson said, “The old joke is people with a toothache try to get arrested so they don’t have to pay for it. But it’s actually not funny.”

Henderson’s measure would allow county sheriff’s departments around the state to seek reimbursement for health costs from inmates who have the means to pay. With prisoner medical costs skyrocketing, it’s a logical step to take, he said.

But members of the House Judiciary Committee, which introduced the bill Wednesday, expressed concern about how counties would determine who is capable to pay, and how the inmates’ insurance premiums would factor in.

Kootenai County alone spends almost $250,000 on its medical budget for jail inmates, according to Capt. Ben Wolfinger. It could recoup as much as $100,000 of that per year, he said, if the bill is passed.

“Should taxpayers be paying for this or should the responsibilities go to the inmates?” Wolfinger said. “I don’t know about you, but that’s a pretty easy question for me.”

The sheriff’s departments would take money from the inmates’ commissary account while they’re in jail – the money they use for small, daily items – or collect the money after they are released.

But Rep. Nicole LeFavour, D-Boise, said inmates have more pressing needs when they get out of jail than paying their medical costs.

“Isn’t it important for inmates to be solvent, not destitute when they get out?” LeFavour asked Wolfinger.

Inmates are already forced to fill out a financial statement form so the sheriffs know their financial situation, Wolfinger replied. “If they can’t pay, that’s fine,” he said. “But in the real world, those who are capable have to pay.”

He was quick to point out that no inmate would be denied medical attention for inability to pay.

Rep. Peter Nielsen, R-Mountain Home, suggested that the counties pay the prisoners’ insurance premiums while they’re in jail. But that worried Rep. Phil Hart, R-Athol.

“That would be a huge burden to the counties,” he said.

The inmates would have to provide their insurance information to the sheriff’s office. The medical costs in turn would be sent to their health insurance company.

“Knowing how much my premium is,” Wolfinger said, making the county pay premiums “would be quite a burden.”

The legislation has received broad support from the Idaho Sheriff’s Association and the Idaho Association of Counties, Henderson and Wolfinger said.

Shoshone County Sheriff Chuck Reynalds called the measure a “no-brainer.”Costs range from prenatal care for pregnant women to dental work for meth abusers, according to the sheriffs.

The problem is only becoming worse in Kootenai County, where the inmate population has increased by 58 percent over the last three years, Wolfinger said.

Kootenai County Commission Chairman Gus Johnson said the increase in criminal activity seems to be exponential, which means there are more daily upkeep costs.

“If we get $25,000 a year from this I would be happy,” Johnson said. “Or even $10,000 would be great. We’re not getting anything now. … Beggars can’t be choosers.”