When it comes to providing medical care for jail prisoners, Kansas sheriffs want to pay the same rate as insurance companies and Medicaid patients.
The Kansas Sheriff's Association says it would support legislation during next year's session in Topeka that would change state law and lower the amounts they and city police have to pay to take care of prisoners.
They point to a recently passed Colorado law that limits medical
providers to charging no more than the Medicaid rate. They say it's unfair to require local taxpayers to pay more.
Crawford County Sheriff Sandy Horton is leading the effort after his department received a medical bill for more than $90,000 earlier this year. Horton estimates the bill would have been $22,600 if he had paid Medicaid rates.