Healthcare in Correctional Facilities is Big Business
Providing healthcare in correctional facilities is big business. While some states and counties provide their own medical services, many farm it out. One company, Wellpath, has contracts with about 550 facilities. This is not good news for inmates, and it's fairly easy to see why.
Let's do a little math. Imagine a county spends $1 million per year for inmate healthcare - this is just a convenient, round number since many small counties spend much less to provide healthcare to its inmates. The primary reason a county would switch to a private provider would be to save money. If Private Company A offers to provide the service for $900,000, and then Private Company B says it can do it for $800,000, the county would likely go with Company B. Then, Company B, in turn, would only take that contract if it can be profitable. For argument's sake, let's estimate a 10% profit margin for Company B. That means that Company B will only spend about $720,000 on medical care at the county jail. That is 28% less than what the county would have spent on the inmates' medical care, and the quality of such care will not be close to "gold-standard." There is no way Company B can save that much cost without cutting plenty of corners.
We've seen this over and over again, with understaffing, substandard training, and what appears to be a general goal of providing as little care as possible. Fortunately, these private jail medical providers can be sued. Just remember that if someone is currently incarcerated, they cannot sue if they have not completed the grievance process. Learn the grievance process at your facility, and file those grievances as soon as you run into any problems.
If you or a loved one have been affected by jail medical neglect, contact the Law Offices
of Don Tittle, PLLC today at (214) 522-8400 or complete our online contact form.
The content of this blog post is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice or create an attorney-client relationship.
Don Tittle
Attorney & Founder
For 35 years, Don Tittle has achieved high-profile, decisive victories in Texas courts, excelling in criminal defense, civil rights litigation, and complex wrongful death and personal injury cases. His law practice now frequently focuses (often concentrates) on cases of abuse and neglect by private jail companies, fighting for justice on behalf of vulnerable individuals.
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