Tulsa County Sued By Hospitals For Unpaid Bills
The plight of Tulsa County jail and the difficulties it has meeting the health care requirements of inmates as mandated by the Supreme Court is emblematic of the problems faced by jails big and small across the country.
The Sheriff’s Office as recently as last week warned that inmate medical costs could have a devastating effect on county budgets statewide. Under state law, jail operators are responsible for inmates’ medical care for illnesses contracted in the jail. The Sheriff’s Office paid more than $4 million to provide such services in the last fiscal year. But sheriff’s officials say it is another state statute — one that gives first-payer status to jail operators — that creates the real financial burden for jails. As first-payers, jail operators are liable for inmate medical costs related to pre-exist- ing conditions when the inmate cannot pay the bill; in addition, such status makes jail operators ineligible for Medicaid reimbursement for emergency care provided to Department of Corrections inmates, officials say. The Sheriff’s Office has spent $589,000 so far this fiscal year for medical expenses incurred outside of the jail.
But they still haven’t paid enough to stop two local hospitals filing a lawsuit against Sheriff Stanley Glanz and the Tulsa County Commission seeking nearly $650,000 in unpaid inmate medical bills. Read more from the Tulsa World.