Impact — IHAP Inmate Health Access Program

9,217 People Connected to Coverage

12.7× Higher Risk of Death Without Healthcare at Release

60% Lower Odds of Return When Insured Within 30 Days

$5.9M Documented Savings — Lee County, FL

16% Recidivism Reduction with Medicaid Enrollment

63% of People Leaving Jail Have Untreated Substance Use Disorder

29,856 People Who Asked for Help — and Got It

23% National Recidivism Reduction from Second Chance Act

9,217 People Connected to Coverage

12.7× Higher Risk of Death Without Healthcare at Release

60% Lower Odds of Return When Insured Within 30 Days

$5.9M Documented Savings — Lee County, FL

16% Recidivism Reduction with Medicaid Enrollment

63% of People Leaving Jail Have Untreated Substance Use Disorder

29,856 People Who Asked for Help — and Got It

23% National Recidivism Reduction from Second Chance Act

What National Leaders Say

Law enforcement, lawmakers, and federal agencies agree.

The call for healthcare access at reentry isn't partisan. It's coming from sheriffs, senators, and public health officials who have all arrived at the same conclusion from different directions.

"This legislation will reduce recidivism and therefore ease budgetary burdens from the jail system. In the long run, getting people the care they need is the right thing to do — for them and for our communities."

Sheriff Dave Mahoney President, National Sheriffs' Association · Dane County, WI

"I do not think there is a singular issue that has greater impact on sheriffs across the country and the individuals in our care — and our communities — than the Medicaid Inmate Exclusion Policy."

Sheriff Peter Koutoujian President, Major County Sheriffs of America · Middlesex County, MA

"By restarting benefits for Medicaid-eligible Americans prior to release, we take swift, needed action to combat the disease of addiction. Our bill will save lives, lower costs, and reduce recidivism."

Rep. Paul Tonko U.S. House of Representatives · Co-sponsor, Bipartisan Reentry Act

Bipartisan Congressional Support

This issue has no party.

Legislation supporting pre-release healthcare enrollment has attracted support from Democrats and Republicans alike — because the data is the same regardless of who's reading it.

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Bipartisan Reentry Act (2025)

Reintroduced April 2025 by Reps. Tonko (D-NY), Turner (R-OH), Pettersen (D-CO), and Rutherford (R-FL) — a former sheriff representing Florida's 5th District. Empowers states to restore Medicaid access up to 30 days before release.

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Medicaid Reentry Act

Led by Senators Baldwin (D-WI) and Braun (R-IN) in the Senate. Specifically addresses pre-release Medicaid activation so coverage is ready the moment someone walks out — not 30 days later.

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Second Chance Reauthorization Act (2024)

Backed by Senators Durbin (D-IL), Capito (R-WV), Booker (D-NJ), Cornyn (R-TX), and Welch (D-VT). Reauthorizes critical grant programs for housing, career training, and treatment. Has reduced recidivism 23% nationally since 2008.

In 2025, a bipartisan group of 88 lawmakers signed a joint letter calling for continued Second Chance Act funding — led by Reps. Carol Miller (R-WV) and Danny Davis (D-IL). The message was clear: this works, and it needs to keep going.

Organizations on Record

The professional consensus is clear.

The following national organizations have made formal public statements supporting correctional healthcare access and continuity of care at reentry. They represent law enforcement, county government, public health, and correctional health professionals.

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National Sheriffs' Association

Joint Task Force on Inmate Health Care & Recidivism

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National Association of Counties

Co-chairs NSA Joint Task Force

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American Jail Association

On record supporting healthcare continuity

⭐

Major County Sheriffs of America

Active support for Medicaid Reentry Act

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U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services

ASPE Report to Congress — January 2023

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NCCHC

National Commission on Correctional Health Care

These organizations have made publicly stated positions on correctional healthcare policy. They have not specifically endorsed IHAP or its programs.

The Research

Numbers that don't move, no matter who's counting.

Every major statistic IHAP cites comes from peer-reviewed research, federal agency reports, or published government data.

12.7×

Higher risk of death in the first two weeks after release

Drug overdose is the leading cause. People walk out with untreated conditions, no medication, and nowhere to turn. This isn't a failure of character — it's a failure of infrastructure.

Source: The Lancet

16%

Reduction in recidivism with Medicaid enrollment at release

Among formerly incarcerated individuals with severe mental illness, Medicaid enrollment upon release was directly associated with a 16% reduction in recidivism. Studies conducted in Florida and Washington State.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Health & Human Services, ASPE Report to Congress — January 2023

60%

Lower odds of returning to jail when insured within 30 days of release

Insurance within the first month isn't just helpful — it's transformative. People with coverage in that window are 60% less likely to come back. This is why IHAP starts at intake.

Source: Peer-reviewed research on reentry health outcomes

30%

Reduction in violent crime recidivism with Medicaid access

Medicaid access is linked to a 30% reduction in violent crime recidivism and a 24% reduction in public-order crime reoffenses. Safer communities aren't a side effect of good healthcare policy — they're the direct result.

Source: Peer-reviewed research on Medicaid and criminal justice outcomes

Case Study

Lee County, Florida: $5.9 million in year one.

Lee County implemented IHAP's HealthCred enrollment program and documented $5.9 million in savings within its first year of operation. When people have healthcare, they use doctors instead of emergency rooms. They manage chronic conditions before they become crises. They don't come back — and each person who doesn't come back saves the county tens of thousands of dollars.

$5.9M

Documented savings
in year one

Year 1

From program start
to documented result

The math is straightforward: one person who doesn't return to jail saves the county $45,000–$53,000 per year. One person who uses a primary care doctor instead of an emergency room saves thousands more. At scale, these numbers add up faster than any other public health intervention available to county government.

The Ripple Effect

When one person gets care and stays out, everyone wins.

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Measurably Safer Communities

A 30% reduction in violent crime recidivism. A 24% reduction in public-order reoffenses. These aren't projections — they're published results from studies on what happens when Medicaid enrollment meets reentry. IHAP creates the coverage and care continuity that drives those numbers.

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Families Kept Together

10 million children in the U.S. have a parent who has been incarcerated. Every person who stays out is a parent present, a partner supported, a sibling no longer absent. The ripple of one person getting care reaches every person connected to them.

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Enormous Savings for Taxpayers

One year in county jail costs $45,000–$53,000 per person. People with justice involvement make up 4.2% of the U.S. population but account for 8.5% of all ER spending — an estimated $5.2 billion in excess costs annually. Prevention is always less expensive than crisis.

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