A VTDigger story about Medicaid billing for Vermont inmates, published Aug. 16, contained several errors. Based on an inaccurate Pew Center report presented to the Corrections Oversight Committee, it was reported that Vermont was not billing Medicaid when eligible inmates received care for 25 hours or longer outside a correctional facility. The state does, in fact, bill Medicaid during these situations.
Department of Vermont Health Access staff have also clarified that the state cannot bill Medicaid for emergency room visits or specialty appointments. Medicaid funds can be accessed, however, for in-patient hospitalizations lasting at least 25 hours. If, for instance, an eligible inmate was hospitalized after an emergency room visit, the state could bill for the hospitalization but not for the emergency room visit itself.
To read the corrected story, click here.
