TX Cutting Prison Medical costs...and it may cost me my job...

I usually post in the Hangout, but this topic is politically charged and I thought I might get better feedback in the D&D.

Check out this article from Statesman.com: Could cuts to prison health care cost Texans more in long run?.

Spoiler

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By obliterating a tiny agency and crossing out some fine print in a 980-page bill, the House budget-cutting plan proposes to reverse a 15-year-old ironclad state policy on prison health care: maintain a two-tiered relationship between providers and the prison system to ensure quality treatment and immunize the state from lawsuits.

If passed as outlined, state officials and critics say, the change will remake the way Texas provides medical care to convicted criminals. And the move could be even more expensive than the current whopping price tag, they say.

It also appears to open the door for private vendors to provide medical care in prisons, a concept that has proved troublesome in other states.

Health care for inmates in Texas' 112 prisons costs taxpayers more than $929 million for two years. The House plan would cut that to just over $707 million.

Most of the proposed cuts would come from reduced treatment, a situation that prison officials worry might eventually cost more, as convicts whose health needs could have been addressed early on require more expensive hospital care.

In addition, drug costs are expected to continue to increase, and legal costs could go up significantly as inmates file lawsuits over reduced medical care.

"It's a major change that's being proposed," said state Rep. Jerry Madden, R-Richardson , former chairman of the House Corrections Committee and an architect of recent corrections reforms. "I see it as an opportunity to at least have a discussion about this."

Sen. John Whitmire, D-Houston , the veteran chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, who is likely to be appointed again, said the current setup is needed because of recent federal court orders.

Helga Dill, chairwoman of a prisoner advocacy group, said she fears the quality of care would suffer under the proposed cuts.

"If they cut this money, people will die in prison for lack of proper care," said Dill, chairwoman of the nonprofit Texas Citizens United for Rehabilitation of Errants , based in Garland . "It's not much now, but quality of care will be totally gone."

Twenty years ago, Texas' prison system was under federal court supervision to improve medical care for convicts, among other things.

In 1993, the Legislature created the Correctional Managed Health Care Committee — with fewer than a half-dozen employees — to coordinate a network of standardized care to be provided by the University of Texas Medical Branch and Texas Tech University.

The idea, sponsors said at the time, was to have a committee with a majority of doctors overseeing the quality of care, not prison officials or prison board members, who were not medical professionals. By having doctors oversee care decisions and supervise the medical system, lawsuits challenging the quality of care — and there were hundreds at the time — could be minimized.

It also helped end federal court supervision of the prison system several years later.

Since then, the committee made up of doctors from UTMB, Tech and the prison system, with a staff led by former Democratic state Rep. Allen Hightower of Huntsville, has overseen a managed health care program that has come under increasing strain in recent years from spiraling costs that have necessitated service cuts.

A growing population of aging convicts — nearly 12,000 of Texas' 154,000 prisoners are over 55 and are beset with medical issues more common in people 10 years older — has been blamed for the spiraling costs.

UTMB last fall proposed ending its contract with the committee and providing care only at the prison hospital that is on the UTMB campus in Galveston, with the in-prison clinics to be operated by someone else.

In the last quarter of 2010, the two universities had lost nearly $22 million on prison health care, according to a report to the prison system's governing board. UTMB earlier had estimated that its losses for the year could top $60 million.

Texas already spends much less than most other states for prisoner health care.

With a cost of $9.88 per day per inmate, Texas is far below other states with large prison systems. California, for example, spends $28.55 a day.

The House budget plan proposes cutting prison medical expenses by about 24 percent —or almost $226 million , including a 14 percent reduction for psychiatric care and prescription drugs.

Instead of $9.88 per inmate, Texas' spending would drop to $6 a day or less, initial calculations show.

In addition, the budget proposal would reduce the amounts for which UTMB and Tech can be reimbursed for their medical services, including $24 million less for the Galveston prison hospital.

Hightower and prison health care officials declined to comment on the House plan.

UTMB spokesman Raul Reyes said officials there are "hopeful that lawmakers will reach a decision that will provide an adequate level of care."

Corrections officials were muted in their response.

"The reality is that we are facing some tough challenges," said Michelle Lyons, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.

The House budget proposal recommends $5.4 billion for the Department of Criminal Justice over the next two years, down from the current $6.2 billion.

Among other things, the budget proposal recommends closure of at least two prisons and layoffs of more than 1,500 correctional employees.
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I'm a field network tech for the University of Texas Medical Branch medical clinics in the prisons in the DFW area.

In a nutshell, TX is broke and looking to cut costs, and prison medical care is in the crosshairs. UTMB provides most of their prison health care, for under $10 a patient. That's astronomically better than private health care companies can do (as evidenced in the article). Also, what isn't listed in the article is that TDCJ solicited bids last year for outside companies to take over the medical care. Only one company came in and offered to do it...for $19 a patient.

UTMB wants to get out of the prisons because it's been operating at a loss. Essentially they have to go to the legislature and ask for TX to cover the difference. They're sick of it.

My stance is that UTMB is going to keep providing health care no matter what. Bottom line is that it's a state agency, and I don't think there's a better alternative for the state money-wise to provide medical care. I think the state won't let UTMB out of the prisons. But there will be cuts.

On a personal note, I know I'm pretty high up the totem pole in my group. There are 16 field techs for over 160 TDCJ and TYC institutions state wide. Not only is my stuff running like a champ, I regularly volunteer for projects and deliver.

If I do get laid off, it's not the end of the world. I have a handle on my finances and can collect unemployment. Also, I've been in IT for over 10 years and my resume is sterling- I know I can get something, even if it's less desirable.

So, does anyone here have any insight into this that may help give a more complete picture? Comments or questions?

 

Very insightful and chock full of info.

Care to expand? This is the Debate and Discussion forum.

this article says differently, btw

 

I've seen things, man....

 

He's SO handsome!