Jail administrators see new law as a money saver.
PARIS – Oxford County Jail Administrator Ernest F. Martin has been asking a lot of questions lately.
They are mostly about a new bill that says a county jail cannot pay a health care provider more than the MaineCare rate.
The bill became law on Sept. 13.
Martin is sure it will be a money saver. He just does not know how much.
Neither do the jail administrators in Androscoggin and Franklin counties, who foresee savings.
Androscoggin and Franklin counties have their general medical needs cared for by Allied Resources for Correctional Health of Turner. Oxford County Jail contracts a Lewiston physician.
The Tri-County area jail administrators said savings should come from services that are attended to by specialists and hospitals and lower-cost pharmaceuticals.
Under Maine law, a jail must take care of all the needs of inmates incarcerated there.
“The county jail population is a high risk population that don’t care for themselves well on the outside,” said Androscoggin County Jail Administrator John Lebel. “We’re required to provide that care and a lot of mental health medications are high priced.”
Jim Foss, jail administrator for Aroostook County and president of the Maine Jail Association, said he is working to find out the ramifications of the new legislation.
“So far, what I have found, is that it looks like I have to go to Augusta and meet with people who run the MaineCare program,” Foss said. “I haven’t been able to dig up a percentage, but it’s definitely going to be cheaper in the long run.”
Newell Augur, director of legislative and public affairs for the Department of Human Services could not confirm or deny that the new legislation would save the counties any money.
He said the cost depends on what malady is being treated.
“To the extent that this new law can save the individual counties additional funds will depend on the nature of the particular medical services that are currently being requested by the county,” Augur said.
The jail administrators believe service will be cheaper and cheaper is a good word to administrators.
Lebel said the jail’s medical costs this year, including medication, will be about $350,000.
“I had just over $300,000 budgeted,” Lebel said. “My medication line is over budget, but because of a lower population this year, the medical services are under.”
The Androscoggin County Jail hosts an average of 125 inmates per night. Martin said the Oxford County Jail is also over budget concerning inmate health costs.
He said there was $60,371 budgeted for 2003 strictly for medical costs and that figures to date show that he will need another $5,000. He said he is seeking $72,654 for 2004.
Franklin County Assistant Jail Administrator Carl Stinchfield said the jail had budgeted $49,800 for medical and $19,000 for medicine for 2003.
He said the jail was pushing the boundaries of the budgeted amount for medicine because with about 75 percent of the year gone, it had used 85 percent of the allotted amount. The pharmaceutical costs were a little better, using 80 percent of the budget.
The Tri-County jails fiscal year runs the same as the calendar year, and all jails are currently working on next year’s budget.
They have questions.
Lebel wonders what the rate may be and how the program is to be administered.
Martin wonders if the new law might be retroactive since its September enactment.
Foss wonders about saving on prescriptions.
“To be perfectly honest,” Foss said. “We’re in favor of anything that saves the county money.”
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