(a) The Director of Corrections is authorized to charge a fee in the amount of five dollars ($5) for each inmate-initiated medical visit of an inmate confined in the state prison.
(b) The fee shall be charged to the prison account of the inmate. If the inmate has no money in his or her personal account, there shall be no charge for the medical visit.
(c) An inmate shall not be denied medical care because of a lack of funds in his or her prison account.
(d) The medical provider may waive the fee for any inmate-initiated treatment and shall waive the fee in any life-threatening or emergency situation, defined as those health services required for alleviation of severe pain or for immediate diagnosis and treatment of unforeseen medical conditions that if not immediately diagnosed and treated could lead to disability or death.
(e) Followup medical visits at the direction of the medical staff shall not be charged to the inmate.
(f) All moneys received by the Director of Corrections pursuant to this section shall, upon appropriation by the Legislature, be expended to reimburse the Department of Corrections for direct provision of inmate health care services.
(Amended by Stats. 1995, Ch. 749, Sec. 8. Effective October 10, 1995.)
Last modified: October 25, 2018