Hepatitis C in Wyoming's Prisons: Who will receive care and who pays?

A proposal to get the government to donate 4 million to treat Wyoming inmates with Hepatitis C was rejected. Over 100 prisoners have Hep C with 3 varying levels of severity. Treatment is available for the two worse categories, but to cure the viral condition is very expensive. Inmates fail to receive treatment as they are not eligible for Medicare or Medicaid. In some other states, lawsuits have arisen for lack of treating inmates. The proposal was denied with legislators asking for more information on the extent of Hepatitis C in Wyoming’s prisons. The testing that followed revealed Hep C in about 8 percent of the inmates, while the national rate is about seventeen percent. 

Treating one individual with Hep C could cost $80,000 dollars. While the governor who denied the proposal suspects that the correction facility could internally cover the costs of treating the inmates with Hep C, the department replied they would work with a medical provider to see what they could do within the appropriate budget. 

- Micah

Sources: 

https://trib.com/news/state-and-regional/health/corrections-department-asks-for-million-to-treat-wyoming-inmates-with/article_85f50cf3-dea6-538e-85ec-54222f213a7c.html