You have a right to health care in jail

[eridani]

http://www.thenewstribune.com/topstories/story/1051161.html

In a story explaining why the city of Lakewood was held responsible for the hospital bills of an inmate:

The U.S. Supreme Court had previously ruled that people behind bars have a right to health care.

This decision is the one being referred to:

http://www.stateline.org/live/ViewPage.action?siteNodeId=136&languageId=1&contentId=13721

A prisoner's constitutional right to health care dates back to a 1976 U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Texas case, Estelle v. Gamble. The judges ruled that deliberate indifference to a prisoner's serious illness or injury constitutes cruel and unusual punishment under the Eighth Amendment.

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. But it is very crappy care

In our local county jail, if a prisoner is on meds, he must pay to see the nurse practitioner and ask for a referral to see the jail doctor and then ask that doctor to write a prescription, which must be filled by the jail pharmacist and paid for by the prisoner. This can take weeks.

[Obamanaut]

5. It isn't always crappy care. While it is true that an inmate account

can be charged for a 'sick call' visit, that charge is only a few dollars. If there is nothing in the account, the charge will simply sit there as a debt until someone puts some money in the account for that inmate. That charge is less than my wife's copay for a doctor visit, using Tricare (I am a military retiree)

This was in Fla when I worked with Dept of Corrections.

I went many times with the paramedics, escorting inmates to a civilian hospital. Many times the inmate remained in that hospital for several days.

[williesgirl]

2. So what about the rest of us? I guess if you're law-abiding, you're out of luck?

[Coyote_Bandit]

3. You get to pay for it

Even if you can't afford any kind of care for yourself.

That too is cruel.

[jtrockville]

4. ... because health care is a basic human right.