The transition from prison to community is characterized by elevated morbidity and mortality, particularly owing to drug overdose. However, most formerly incarcerated adults with substance use disorders do not use any health care, including treatment for substance use disorders, during the initial months after incarceration. The purpose of this study from HIP Investigator Dr. Marguerite Burns was to evaluate whether a prerelease Medicaid enrollment assistance program is associated with increased health care use within 30 days after release from prison.
This retrospective cohort study included 16,307 adults aged 19 to 64 years with a history of substance use who were released from state prison between April 1, 2014, and December 31, 2016. The Wisconsin Department of Corrections implemented prerelease Medicaid enrollment assistance in January 2015. The results of this cohort study suggest that prerelease Medicaid enrollment assistance was associated with increased use of outpatient health care after incarceration and highlights the value of making this assistance universally available within correctional settings.
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