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Utah House rejects bill to require insurers to cover inmate medical costs
Summary
After hours of debate over cost-shifting and small-business impact, the Utah House voted down House Bill 22, which would have allowed the Department of Corrections and county jails to bill private health insurers for medical care for incarcerated people; the measure failed 30–44.
SALT LAKE CITY — The Utah House of Representatives on Tuesday rejected House Bill 22, the "Inmate Health Insurance Amendments," after an extended floor debate about who should bear the cost of medical care for people in custody.
The bill, sponsored by Representative Ray, would have allowed the Department of Corrections and county jails to seek payment from an incarcerated person’s private health insurance if a valid policy existed while the person was in custody. Ray told colleagues the change could reduce state and county medical spending: "With the Department of Corrections, they spend about $23,000,000 on medical services paid for by the taxpayer,"…
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