BILL ANALYSIS �
AB 2261
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB 2261 (Valadao)
As Amended April 18, 2012
Majority vote
PUBLIC SAFETY 5-0
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|Ayes:|Ammiano, Knight, Hagman, | | |
| |Mitchell, Skinner | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY : Increases from $3 to $5 the fee charged for each
inmate-initiated medical visit by an inmate confined in a county
or city jail.
EXISTING LAW :
1)Provides that a sheriff, Director of the Department of
Corrections, or chief of police is authorized to charge a fee
in the amount of $3 for each inmate-initiated medical visit of
an inmate confined in a county or city jail.
2)States that the fee shall be charged to the inmate's personal
account at the facility. If the inmate has no money in his or
her personal account, there shall be no charge for the medical
visit.
3)Provides that an inmate shall not be denied medical care
because of a lack of funds in his or her personal account.
4)Provides that the medical provider may waive the fee for any
inmate-initiated treatment and shall waive the fee for any
life-threatening or emergency situation, defined as those
health services required for alleviation of severe pain or for
immediate diagnosis and treatment of unforeseen medical
conditions that if not immediately treated could lead to
disability or death.
5)States that follow-up medical visits at the direction of the
medical staff shall not be charged to the inmate.
6)Provides that the Director of the Department of Corrections is
authorized to charge a fee in the amount of $5 for each
AB 2261
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inmate-initiated medical visit of an inmate confined in the
state prison.
FISCAL EFFECT : Unknown. This bill is keyed non-fiscal by the
Legislative Counsel.
COMMENTS : According to the author, "Under existing law, a
sheriff, director of corrections, or chief of police is
authorized to charge a fee in the amount of $3 for each inmate
co-pay in a county or city jail for medical care. The
Legislature set this $3 co-pay in 1994 and has not increased it
since, even though health care costs have skyrocketed over the
past 18 years. The fee is necessary to reduce frivolous
requests, staff time, and hold the inmate responsible to
participate in their own health needs. Since the cost of a
medical visit for a county inmate is so low it causes some
inmates to abuse the system, for example, some common reasons to
seek a non-medical visit are drug seeking, wanting to see a
specific person, wanting to get out of his/her cell, and now
with overcrowding some inmates just want to have some privacy.
AB 2261 will increase the co-pay from $3 to $5 which will better
align the amount charged to them with the cost of care while
deterring unnecessary and frivolous use of medical services.
This small increase will also bring the co-pay to the current $5
fee that inmates currently pay in prison and would have paid if
it were not for realignment. AB 2261 is an important first step
towards reducing frivolous access to care in our county jails."
Please see the policy committee analysis for a full discussion
of this bill.
Analysis Prepared by : Gregory Pagan / PUB. S. / (916)
319-3744
FN: 0003293