This bill provides the BOP with the authority to charge inmates a minimal copayment fee for certain self-initiated health care visits. We view this initiative as a necessary and invaluable tool in the BOP's overall strategy to teach inmates personal responsibility, and feel that it further assists us in maintaining quality health care in a cost effective manner. The Health Services Division of the Federal Bureau of Prisons oversees the provision of health care for over 117,000 inmates housed within the 94 federal prisons. Services are provided for inmates housed in general population institutions, as well as those housed in Medical Referral Centers.
Ancillary services including laboratory testing and radiology are also available.
This care is provided by physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and consulting specialists on a contractual basis from the community. Emergency medical care is provided 24 hours per day either by institution staff or by transferring the inmate to a community hospital emergency room. In order to assist inmates in achieving a successful transition into the community upon their release, the BOP strives to teach inmates in our custody personal responsibility. All medically-able inmates are required to work and to demonstrate good work habits. Inmates are generally required to manage their own finances, choosing how to allot their inmate pay for such personal expenses as telephone calls and commissary items.