"Speak Out" is an expression of opinion from the Editorial Board of WBTV, and is presented by General Manager, Nick Simonette.
If you get sick while in jail, the state is paying lots of money to get you well.
The Department of Corrections spending on healthcare was $17.5 million in 1999.
In 2009, it was $55.8 Million.
When the State Auditor's office investigated...it found North Carolina is paying up to 5 times as much to hospitals as the federal government usually pays.
What?
Why is all that extra taxpayer money going to hospitals and healthcare companies?
An official with WakeMed justified some of its high bills by saying inmate care is extra expensive.
This same official later justified the mark-up on one patient by saying hospitals need to recoup losses in some areas if they can, because most patients don't pay full charges.
Recoup losses?
With our tax dollars?
That's not re-couping losses!
That's taking tax dollars to help your company's bottom line!
No wonder it costs so much to run a state government.
Governor Beverly Perdue must agree.
She signed a bill allowing the state to pay less for inmates healthcare.
Only after she signed it, then-Senator Tony Rand gutted the bill at the request of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina.
If that's not fishy, I'm not sure what is.
So, taxpayers, we'll continue to pay -- dearly -- for inmates' medical bills.
If you're concerned over these astronomical inmate healthcare costs, SpeakOut.
Contact your Senator and let them know.
Tell us what YOU think. SpeakOut@wbtv.com.
