Prison healthcare spending is built in to a state's cost per inmate. Wisconsin has an above average yearly cost per inmate, at slightly more than $32,000.
Wisconsin's spending per inmate is twice that of Kentucky's, but it is about half of what New York State spends annually on each inmate,
as reported by the National Institute of Corrections.
According to the Pew Charitable Trust’s Prison Spending Report, Wisconsin spent an average of $7,000 per inmate from 2007 to 2011.
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Incarcerated adults in the Wisconsin prison system may be eligible for a limited amount of Medicaid or BadgerCare (for pregnant women) coverage for inpatient hospital stays; outpatient care, including most emergency room visits, are not covered. I
n general, medical care is provided on site at the correctional centers, including a maximum security hospital at Oakhill Correctional Center.
As a general rule, prison inmates in Wisconsin are not eligible for state health benefits beyond prison healthcare in cases where the inmate does not require an inpatient stay at an off-site hospital.
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While substance abuse programs are a large part of Wisconsin’s prison healthcare and rehabilitation, they are also a part of a program aimed at reducing the prison population — the Treatment Alternatives and Diversion Program. This program offers drug treatment, primarily in the case of nonviolent crimes involving the possession of heroin, as an alternative to prison.
By lowering the number of nonviolent heroin addicts in the prisons and rehabilitating them outside of the system, more funds are available for healthcare for inmates within the system.
In addition to rehab, Wisconsin prisons offer specialized healthcare for mental health, HIV, and geriatric care that serves the 7 percent of inmates who are 55 and older.
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