Soaring Medical Costs in Washington Jails
by Michael Thompson
Jails within Washington state are finding it increasingly difficult to arrange medical providers. In one example, when Kitsap County recently put out a request for a medical provider, only their current provider responded, Everhealth LLC, a subsidiary of Alabama-based NaphCare. As a result, Kitsap County was forced to accept their $6.8 million bid for 2026 services. That was over $1 million beyond the previous year’s cost to the county and more than double the cost from just five years ago. In 2029, the price will spike again to $8.6 million.
Everhealth had apparently considered pulling out of Washington completely. They have said that of the six jails with which they currently work, only two will continue to provide services after the end of 2026.
Medical care is a fundamental right for incarcerated persons, so failing to provide it is not an option. And yet, jails in Washington struggle to get bids due to the high cost of medical services in jails and in Washington in particular. Devon Schrum of the South Correctional Entity (SCORE) described it as a crisis. After SCORE’s then current provider went into bankruptcy, they sought a new contract. SCORE came within a month of the previous contract’s expiration when they finally got a deal with a new provider that cost them $2 million more.
The providers and jails name several factors for the rising costs. For Kitsap County and others, part of the challenge is the remote location, which makes staffing even more difficult in a competitive labor market. Furthermore, healthcare core costs continue to rise year over year. In addition to the rising baseline costs, jails offer a distinct cohort of clients, many of whom may not have had regular medical care, if any at all. Some of the patients will have been a year or more without seeing a doctor. And, for those that have had medical care, out-of-state providers may not have important access to critical medical records.
The greatest cost driver, according to the jails and providers, is insurance. Washington is one of just a few states that do not cap tort or medical malpractice claims. Two recent court decisions against providers have demanded payouts of $27 and $25 million, respectively, for a death and an amputation for incarcerated persons in their care. Unlike the state’s prisons, the local jails do not have access to an account operated by Washington’s Office of Risk Management. As a result, city and county jails and their providers are on their own to acquire the necessary insurance, a fact that eliminates most local providers. There are ideas on the table, such as limiting private liability to just $50,000 with the state taking on the rest, but none have gained traction so far. The sponsors of the bill to limit private liability plane to resubmit the bill in January of 2026.
Source: Kitsap Sun
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login