Maricopa County To Help Inmates Sign Up For Health Insurance

August 20, 2013

Maricopa County will begin helping inmates sign up for health care insurance when they leave the jail system. It is part of the campaign to get 1 million uninsured people in Arizona coverage next year.

Mary Rose Wilcox Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox announced the county corrections system will help inmates get insurance at the Adelante Healthcare in Mesa. (Photo by Steve Shadley-KJZZ)

Arizonans who do not currently have health insurance or feel they are underinsured can purchase policies under the new federal affordable health care program starting in October. That is also when the state will add hundreds of thousands of lower income people to its Medicaid rolls. 

Maricopa County Supervisor Mary Rose Wilcox said the county’s corrections workers will begin helping  prisoners sign up for insurance right before they leave jail. 

“It’s going to be to our advantage, because as they leave this system, and if we are treating them for diabetes or whatever we are treating them for, they will be able to continue their treatment, because they will have insurance, and we think we can also encourage them to get their families enrolled,” said Wilcox.

She said county corrections officials will meet with President Obama’s health care team this week to learn how the prisoners can sign up. Wilcox made the announcement in Mesa where federal grants were awarded to groups helping people enroll in the insurance programs.