Introduction of the Fairness in Federal Bureau of Prisons Medical Care Act of 2022

Floor Speech

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Ms. NORTON. Madam Speaker, today, I introduce the Fairness in Federal Bureau of Prisons Medical Care Act of 2022. This bill would eliminate the copay the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) imposes on inmates when they visit a BOP-provided health care provider.

Under current BOP rules, inmates are required to pay a fee for health services of $2.00 per health care visit. While $2.00 may seem insignificant, when inmates earn only 12 to 40 cents per hour on their work assignments, $2 is substantial. That money could better be used to pay for the cost of necessities. Moreover, while copays can reduce unnecessary appointments, we should be encouraging inmates to seek medical care before conditions become worse and more expensive for taxpayers. Early care is much less expensive for the federal government than costly treatment that could have been avoided by a simple health care visit earlier in the process.

Under current BOP rules, if an inmate is found responsible through the Disciplinary Hearing Process of having caused another inmate's injury that required a visit to a health care provider, the offending inmate is required to pay the $2 copay for the injured inmate's visit. That rule would not change under my bill.

Removing this unnecessary copay would encourage inmates to see a health care provider and receive the treatment they need, and would likely save the federal government money in the long run.

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