Co-payment policy: Impact on the health of women prisoners

Adequate health care is one of the most pressing problems facing incarcerated women in the US. Co-payment for health in jails and prisons is a poorly understood policy impacting women's access to health care. Virtually no nursing research explores this topic; yet nurses represent the largest group of health professionals practicing in jails and prisons and directly or indirectly implement this policy. This study aimed to: a) Analyze women prisoners' use of co-payment for health care; b) Analyze how co-payment affects women prisoners' access to health care; and c) Identify how women prisoners view the impact of co-payment on their health. Using focus groups and individual interviews with 30 previously incarcerated women, this community-based participatory research developed an explanatory theory of the impact of co-payment policies on women prisoners' access to health care. It provides knowledge for nurses and other stakeholders about how co-payment policies impact women prisoners' health; and is significant for its focus on disenfranchised women, giving visibility to those who are typically excluded from the dialogue on policies that impact their lives.