Central Louisiana News

U.S. Senator Bill Cassidy, M.D. (R-LA), emphasized the importance of his Due Process Continuity of Care Act during a U.S. Senate Finance Committee hearing on the fentanyl crisis. The legislation aims to ensure that pre-trial detainees retain Medicaid benefits until they are found guilty of a crime. Currently, when Medicaid denies access to care for these individuals, local jail budgets bear the responsibility for addressing their health needs, often resulting in unmet care.

"In my medical practice, I used to treat patients from jails. I used to go into prisons," said Dr. Cassidy. "Someone who is currently booked into jail loses Medicaid benefits before being adjudicated. They may be said ‘not guilty,’ but they’ve still lost their Medicaid, and they have to go through the whole rigmarole to get back onto Medicaid."

Pre-trial detainees represent approximately two-thirds of those held in local jails, which often function similarly to emergency departments by admitting individuals with severe mental illness and substance use disorders.

Tony Vezina, Executive Director of the 4th Dimension Recovery Center, supported the act and noted the financial strain placed on local law enforcement budgets due to this issue. "In county jail systems, a person loses Medicaid and then the jail has to pay for the services. I’m not an expert on the criminal justice budget, but they don’t have the money to pay for adequate services. So leveraging Medicaid match for those behavioral health services would be ideal from a cost-savings perspective," stated Mr. Vezina.

Incarcerated individuals experience higher rates of chronic diseases, mental illness, and substance abuse compared to the general population. More than 95 percent of local jail inmates eventually return to their communities with these health conditions.

Earlier this year, Senator Cassidy received the Major County Sheriffs of America’s (MCSA) Legislative Initiative Champion Award for his work on this act. The bill is endorsed by MCSA.

A modified version of the Due Process Continuity of Care Act was signed into law last Congress but applied only to minors.

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