
                         THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
                 Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, June 19, 1994                    TAG: 9406180081 
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER                     PAGE: 06    EDITION: FINAL  
SOURCE: Medium 
DATELINE: 940619                                 LENGTH:

MEDICAL CARE IN JAIL\

{LEAD} While the folks in Washington wrangle endlessly over health care reform, Sheriff John R. Newhart has - in his own small way - done something about it.

For years, whenever a prisoner at Chesapeake City Jail grew weary of staring at the walls of his cell, all he had to do was complain of a headache or an upset stomach and he'd get to take an outing to a doctor's office.

{REST} Doing jail time doesn't allow for many diversions, and prisoners soon realize that an occasional trip to the doctor can help to break the monotony.

The taxpayers, of course, have paid the bills for these excursions, whether the examinations turned up any legitimate symptoms of illness or not. It's hard to say how much money is wasted on false claims by inmates, but no one doubts that it happens.

Sheriff Newhart wondered why prisoners who have no trouble coming up with money to buy snacks or personal items from the jail commissary should be getting a free ride when it comes to medical care, especially when some of them were simply using the visits to the doctor as a way of breathing a little outside air.

The sheriff sought and received authority from the General Assembly to collect a nominal co-payment from prisoners each time they receive medical treatment. It wouldn't be much - just $5 or $10 - something similar to the co-payments commonly required by health maintenance organizations and some insurance policies.

``If inmates know the money comes out of their pockets,'' the sheriff reasoned, ``they will think twice before faking illnesses.''

Law-abiding citizens have aches and pains, too, but most of them don't rush off to the doctor unless they have a serious problem. Why? Because they know it's going to cost them something. It shouldn't be any different with criminals.

Officials say similar laws in other places have reduced medical claims by inmates by as much as 70 percent.

The new policy, which goes into effect July 1, has provisions to protect inmates who really can't afford medical help, and nobody who asks for treatment will be denied it because he is poor. An administrative committee at the jail can exempt a prisoner from the co-payment if circumstances justify it.

The idea makes a lot of sense, and the taxpayers of Chesapeake owe Sheriff Newhart their thanks for thinking of it.

If the president and Congress can do as well with their health care reform efforts as the sheriff has done with his, we'll all be better off.

by CNB