★  How It Works  ★

We are the traction.
Everything else is already out there.

The coverage exists. The community organizations exist. The mental health resources exist. What's been missing is something that makes sure each individual actually connects to all of it. That's IHAP.

The Pathway

From intake to home — with real traction.

IHAP doesn't wait until release day. We start at intake, build the plan throughout someone's stay, and are there every day after the door opens.

HC
HealthCred
The Enrollment Infrastructure
HealthCred identifies individuals at intake — the moment they arrive at the facility. They flag who has existing coverage and who doesn't. For those without coverage, HealthCred initiates the IHAP pathway immediately. Coverage activates within 30 days of release through the ACA Special Enrollment Period.
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1
IHAP — Health Education
IHAP helps each individual understand their coverage — what it covers, how to use it, what it costs them (nothing for most). Health literacy is the bridge between having a card and actually getting care. Without this, coverage goes unused and the crisis continues.
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2
IHAP — Mental Health First
63% of people leaving jail have an untreated substance use disorder. 44% have a diagnosable mental health condition. IHAP connects individuals to mental health resources and recovery support before they're released — because the mind has to come first.
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3
IHAP — Community Connections
IHAP connects each person to the right nonprofits and community organizations at exit — housing, employment, legal aid, peer support. These are warm referrals to real people who are expecting them. Not a list of phone numbers. An actual handoff.
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Home — With Traction
Coverage active. Mind supported. Community waiting. A doctor scheduled. Housing confirmed. A peer on the other end of the phone. The individual leaves with real connections — not a pamphlet. That's the difference between a door opening and a life changing.
What Enrollment Unlocks

Real coverage. Real benefits. IHAP makes sure they're used.

When HealthCred enrolls someone in an ACA or Medicaid plan, they gain access to a full suite of healthcare benefits — many for the first time in their adult life. IHAP's job is making sure each person understands every benefit, knows how to use it, and actually does.

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Mental Health Coverage
Therapy, counseling, psychiatric care, and crisis support — all covered. IHAP connects individuals to mental health providers before and after release, because the mind has to come first.

IHAP ensures: Provider connections + mental health literacy
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Prescription Drug Coverage
Ongoing medications for chronic conditions, mental health, and recovery — covered from day one. IHAP helps bridge the gap so no one goes without medication during the coverage activation window.

IHAP ensures: Prescription assistance + pharmacy connections
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Substance Use Treatment
Inpatient and outpatient programs, MAT, and peer support — all ACA-covered. IHAP connects individuals to vetted recovery programs in their area the moment they leave.

IHAP ensures: Treatment referrals + MAT provider connections
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Primary & Preventive Care
Annual checkups, screenings, immunizations, and chronic disease management — all covered. For many people, this is the first primary care doctor they've ever had. IHAP helps them find one and use the relationship.

IHAP ensures: PCP connections + preventive care education
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Emergency & Specialist Care
ER visits, specialist referrals, imaging, and lab work — all covered. IHAP educates individuals on when to use emergency vs. primary care, reducing unnecessary ER visits and ensuring the right level of care.

IHAP ensures: Care navigation education + specialist referrals
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Dental, Vision & Wellness
Dental care, vision correction, and wellness programs are often included in ACA plans and Medicaid. IHAP helps individuals understand what their specific plan covers and connects them to in-network providers near where they'll be living.

IHAP ensures: Benefits education + in-network provider matching
The Force Multiplier

We train the people already inside.

IHAP doesn't need to put its own staff inside every facility. Instead, we train and equip the people who are already there — giving them the tools, language, and resources to make sure every person has a pathway before they leave.

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Correctional Officers & Staff
Trained to introduce healthcare enrollment and answer basic benefit questions during daily interactions. Officers already have the relationships — IHAP gives them the tools.
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Counselors & Case Managers
Equipped with IHAP resources to integrate healthcare and mental health planning into existing reentry case plans. Healthcare becomes a standard part of every reentry conversation.
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Chaplains & Educators
Trusted voices inside facilities — trained to connect individuals to IHAP's resources as part of their existing faith and education programs. Trust is already there; IHAP provides the resources.
Root Causes

What drives the revolving door — and how IHAP breaks it.

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Root Cause 01
No Coverage Means No Treatment
Federal law suspends Medicaid the moment someone is incarcerated. When they're released, they walk out with no insurance and no path to a doctor. More than 30% of adults with recent justice involvement remain uninsured — double the general population rate. A condition that $50 a month would manage becomes a crisis that costs the system tens of thousands of dollars. IHAP solves this at the source: using the ACA's Special Enrollment Period (SEP) at release, we prepare every application during a person's stay — so it's submitted the moment they walk out.
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Root Cause 02
No Care Plan Means No Safety Net
63% of people in jail have a substance use disorder. 44% have a diagnosable mental health condition. People with both have a 68% rate of returning to jail within 4 years — the highest of any group. These conditions don't go away at release. Without a care plan, a referral, or anyone to call, the next crisis lands them right back inside. IHAP builds that safety net before release day — a doctor, a care coordinator, a plan.
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Root Cause 03
No Stability Means No Future
You can't keep a doctor's appointment from a shelter. You can't manage a prescription without an address. In the first year after release, formerly incarcerated people average 3.6 emergency room visits — using the ER as primary care because they have no stable base to build from. Housing instability unravels every other form of progress. IHAP provides housing coordination and stabilization support for people most at risk, because a stable home is where everything else becomes possible.

Ready to support this work?

Every gift funds the traction that makes everything else grip — enrollment, education, connections, and stability for the people who need it most.

Make a Tax-Deductible Gift →
501(c)(3)
Inmate Health Access Program
EIN: 41-4339110 · All donations are fully tax-deductible
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