Medicaid Application Services for Substance Using Jail Inmates

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2016

The Maricopa County Health Care Integration (HCI) Program focuses its efforts on improving health care policies and programs that impact Maricopa County’s most vulnerable citizens by uniting County health care and criminal justice departments, external community providers and state and federal government agencies. In 2015, HCI convened partners from Maricopa County’s public and nonprofit sectors to help substance using jail inmates apply for and receive early benefit eligibility determinations from Arizona’s Medicaid program (AHCCCS) so that upon release from jail, released inmates will have approved Medicaid benefits. In November 2015, HCI made history when a pilot program helped 55 Maricopa County jail inmates with identified substance use needs receive Medicaid application assistance and benefit approval upon release from jail. Since then, a total of 95 releasing inmates have been enrolled.