THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT 
              Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Friday, September 1, 1995              TAG: 9509010519
SECTION: LOCAL                    PAGE: B7   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS 
DATELINE: RICHMOND                           LENGTH: Medium:   52 lines

VA. RAISES $32,000 FROM CO-PAYMENTS BY INMATES

A new program that charges state prisoners co-payments for their medical care has raised $32,000 in its first month and reduced inmate sick calls by about 35 percent, officials said.

Since July 1, inmates have been charged co-payments of about $2 or $5 for non-emergency health care. Inmates are not refused medical treatment if they cannot afford to pay, Secretary of Public Safety Jerry Kilgore said.

The Department of Corrections wants to reduce frivolous requests by inmates for health care they do not need, Kilgore said. Most of society pays medical co-payments, so the state's more than 23,000 prisoners should too, he said.

``It's no different from what's going on in the real world,'' Kilgore said. ``You make a choice every time you get sick if you need to go to the doctor or not.''

Others, however, fear inmates may not get the care they need because the co-payments discourage them from seeking help.

``Our principle concern is it will discourage prisoners from reporting illness,'' said Kent Willis, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia.

``In the end, it means prisoners are likely to get sicker and quite possibly it will cost the state money because it will cause delays in prisoners reporting illnesses,'' Willis said.

Kilgore, however, said the policy provides for emergency and indigent cases, and prison staffs are trained to detect situations in which inmates are truly ill and in the position to spread diseases to others.

Republican Gov. George Allen offered the co-payment proposal in his 1995 legislative agenda, and the General Assembly passed legislation allowing the Corrections Department to charge co-payments, Kilgore said.

Under the program, inmates pay $5 for each doctor's visit; $2 for each original order of medications and $2 for any dental treatment. Other charges apply for treatment such as dental work and prosthetic devices.

Money generated by the program is being allotted to a new telemedicine pilot program, which provides live two-way audio and video communications between Powhatan Correctional Center Hospital and the Medical College of Virginia Hospitals in Richmond.

The telemedicine system is used for special projects such as the treatment of HIV-infected inmates and radiology assessments, Kilgore said. Some jails also have instituted inmate co-payment programs.

KEYWORDS: PRISONS VIRGINIA HEALTH CARE by CNB