A sweeping federal budget law championed by President Trump is now putting the brakes on efforts by multiple states to extend Medicaid coverage to people held in jails and prisons.
The legislation includes funding reductions and program changes that are complicating what had been a bipartisan push to bring health insurance coverage behind bars before inmates are released back into their communities.
States had been working to enroll incarcerated individuals in Medicaid ahead of their release dates, a strategy seen across party lines as a way to improve health outcomes and reduce the likelihood of reoffending. Those efforts are now under significant pressure as the new federal requirements take effect.
