ALBANY - The New York State Senate today passed a bill, sponsored by Senator Michael Nozzolio (R,C- Fayette), that would protect the taxpayers of New York State by requiring state and county correctional facility inmates to make copayments for health care visits the same policy that is in place in the federal prison system and two-thirds of the states.

“Hardworking taxpayers are being forced every day to change or even drop their health care coverage because of rising premiums, unbearable co-pays and outrageous state taxes on healthcare benefits.  Meanwhile, those convicted of violent crimes, murder, rape, robbery and drug offenses enjoy unlimited access to free health care at taxpayer expense,” said Senator Nozzolio, Chairman of the Senate Crime Victims, Crime and Corrections Committee.

New York taxpayers spend over $121 million per year to provide top-of-the-line health care to prisoners, amounting to about $2,000 per inmate. This legislation requires prisoners to pay  $7 per visit as a co-payment for medical treatment.  No inmate would be denied medical treatment for an inability to pay, but it would reduce the excessive and non-emergency health care visits currently taking place in our prisons and save millions of taxpayer dollars each year.

Senator Nozzolio pointed out that the health care benefits provided to the state’s inmates are often expensive and medically unnecessary.  Often, inmates will schedule medical appointments when nothing is wrong simply as a way of passing their time behind bars, because it’s free.

The bill was sent to the Assembly.