(a) Any person committed to the custody of the Commissioner of Correction who is confined in a correctional facility and requires hospitalization for medical care may be transferred by the department to any hospital having facilities for such care. If such person is covered by a health insurance policy, as defined in section 38a-469, and such policy provides coverage for such hospitalization or medical care, such person shall be liable to the hospital for all covered expenses, and (1) such person shall arrange to have the carrier pay the amount of covered expenses to the hospital, or (2) if such policy indemnifies the covered person for costs incurred, such person shall pay the hospital for covered expenses. Each carrier shall provide benefits for covered expenses without regard to whether a person is committed to the custody of the Commissioner of Correction. If such person is not covered by a health insurance policy, the department shall reimburse the receiving hospital at a rate not to exceed that established under the provisions of section 17b-239. As used in this subsection, “carrier” means any insurance company, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, health care center, fraternal benefit society or other entity which delivers, issues for delivery or renews a health insurance policy in this state.
(b) Prior to October 1, 2019, the Commissioner of Correction shall revise the payment methodology for ambulance services provided by a municipality on behalf of a person who is confined in a correctional facility and requires transfer to a hospital for medical care. The revision to such payment methodology shall ensure that if such person is not covered by a health insurance policy, the department shall reimburse the municipality for ambulance services at the same rate that department is contractually obligated to pay to nonmunicipal providers of ambulance services.
(1961, P.A. 344; 1963, P.A. 254; 1969, P.A. 297; P.A. 97-245, S. 1; P.A. 15-118, S. 25; P.A. 19-9, S. 1.)
History: 1963 act deleted stipulation that state hospital have security facilities before such person may be transferred to it; 1969 act replaced jails with community correctional centers. P.A. 97-245 made provisions applicable to any person “committed to the custody of the Commissioner of Correction who is confined in a correctional facility” rather than any person “committed to a community correctional center”, provided that the transfer of the person is by “the department” rather than by “the Community Correctional Center Administrator” and that the transfer is to “any hospital” rather than to “any state hospital”, deleted provision that required the superintendent of the hospital to whom the Community Correctional Center Administrator applies to admit the person to such hospital, added provision re liability of the person for hospital expenses, and procedure for payment thereof, if the person is covered by a health insurance policy, added provision re obligation of the carrier to provide benefits without regard to whether a person is committed to the custody of the Commissioner of Correction, added provision requiring the department to reimburse the hospital if the person is not covered by a health insurance policy and specifying the rate of such reimbursement, and added definition of “carrier”; P.A. 15-118 added “service corporation” and made a technical change; P.A. 19-9 designated existing provisions re person confined in correctional facility who requires hospitalization as Subsec. (a) and amended same by making a technical change and added Subsec. (b) re commissioner to revise payment methodology for ambulance services provided by a municipality, effective July 1, 2019.