[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 65 (Thursday, April 30, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1028-E1029]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         RESTORING THE PARTNERSHIP FOR COUNTY HEALTH CARE COSTS

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, April 30, 2009

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Madam Speaker, I rise today to introduce a 
bill to address two matters that are critically important to the future 
of this country: health care and the health of our local economies.
  In almost all states, an inmate in a county jail or juvenile 
detention facility loses their Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP or SSI 
benefits during their incarceration--even if they have not been 
convicted of a crime. The United States leads the world in the number 
of people who are incarcerated and federal law requires government 
entities to provide medical services to all inmates. High incarceration 
rates, chronic conditions, substance abuse treatment, mental illness, 
and aging prison populations have contributed to the rise in health 
care costs for inmates.
  Madam Speaker, providing health care for inmates constitutes a major 
portion of local jail operating costs. Nearly two thirds of all jail 
inmates are awaiting court action or have not been convicted of the 
crime they have been charged with. Over half of jail inmates who 
receive financial support from government agencies prior to their 
arrest have physical and/or mental health problems. Requiring county 
governments to cover health care costs for inmates who have not been 
convicted. This places an unnecessary burden on local governments, 
which have been negatively impacted by recession, widespread budget 
deficits, and cuts to safety-net programs and other essential services.
  Stripping inmates of Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP and SSI benefits also 
violates the presumption of innocence which is at the heart of our 
criminal justice system. The failure to distinguish between persons who 
are awaiting disposition of charges and persons who have been duly 
convicted goes against the foundational tenets of our justice system.
  Disadvantaged populations are further harmed by this situation. Low-
income and minority populations are often unable to post bond, which 
would allow them to continue to receive benefits from the federal 
government. The facts are clear and all too familiar. Black men are 
three times more likely than Hispanics and five times more likely than 
whites to be in jail. Black women are more than twice

[[Page E1029]]

as likely as Hispanic females and over 3.5 times more likely than white 
females to have been incarcerated.
  Madam Speaker, this issue hits close to home. Florida's local economy 
has been devastated. Further, Florida has one of the highest levels of 
uninsured persons in the nation, and the majority of these people 
reside in South Florida. Passage of this bill will rectify this 
inequality by restoring the partnership between federal and local 
governments.
  The bipartisan Restoring the Partnership for County Health Care Costs 
Act of 2009 ensures that the federal and local governments share in 
these health care costs, and that no side is unnecessarily burdened 
with financing medical services.
  I urge you to join Representative Burgess, Representative Holt and 
myself in supporting a bill that is designed to provide relief to local 
county budgets and defend those values which are at the core of our 
nation's criminal justice system.

                          ____________________