Kentuckians leaving incarceration will be covered by Medicaid for one year and receive one month’s supply of any medications prescribed to them while in state custody under a federal waiver. 

Gov. Andy Beshear made the announcement Monday, saying “providing services like health care to adults and juveniles who have paid their debt to society will help reduce recidivism, decrease overdose deaths, boost our workforce and make our commonwealth safer.” 

The waiver was approved in 2024. Beth Fisher, the deputy communications director for the Cabinet for Health and Family Services, said “full implementation took time” since “the program involves multiple agencies working across complex systems, Medicaid eligibility changes, and technology alignments among correctional institutions.” 

According to Fisher, incarcerated Kentuckians can get pre-release screenings starting 60 days before their scheduled release. 

The 1115 Reentry Program waiver doesn’t have enrollment caps, according to Fisher, and is meant to help people who would have qualified for Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program, which is a federal-state program serving people in the middle of Medicaid eligibility and being able to afford private insurance. 

According to Morgan Hall, the communications director for the  Justice and Public Safety Cabinet, Kentucky has 12,000 adults in state prisons and “nearly” 90 juveniles in a Youth Development Center. 

“While not all these individuals will qualify for Medicaid 60 days prior to release, the majority may, and the 1115 waiver will be another tool for successful reentry and reduction of the state’s recidivism rate,” Hall said. 

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