Why Do States Terminate Rather Than Suspend Inmate Medicaid Benefits?

We have reported on increased Medicaid coverage for justice-involved individuals in states expanding Medicaid (see Federal Estimates Indicate Former Inmates & Detainees Will Constitute About 30% Of People In The Medicaid Expansion Population and PPACA & Medicaid Enrollment Post Incarceration). Connecting justice-involved individuals to services (both social and medical) upon release is widely acknowledged as critical to breaking the cycle of homelessness, reliance on emergency and crisis care, and re-arrest (see Prison, Police, And Programs: Evidence-Based Options That Reduce Crime And Save Money). And yet, all but 12 states terminate the Medicaid enrollment of individuals once . . .