Iowa jails told not to charge for medical care before conviction
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(ABC 6 News) – The state of Iowa is telling county jails not to charge an inmate for their medical care, unless they have been convicted of a crime.
The recommendation comes after an investigative report from the ombudsman’s office.
Since 2016, the office has been following up on complaints from inmates, saying they were being charged for medical copays.
Current state law requires jails to provide inmates care for serious medical and dentl needs, now ruling that county sheriffs can charge fees to inmates only after they are convicted.