Starke County Commissioners Approve Inmate Medical Coverage

The medical coverage for inmates was a topic of discussion at the most recent meeting of the Starke County Commissioners.

Commissioner Kathy Norem explained that it’s for catastrophic coverage.

“In the event that somebody has an open heart procedure or a kidney transplant, or something, while under the jurisdiction of the sheriff, we have purchased what’s commonly known as catastrophic insurance to cover that loss,” noted Norem. “We could not sustain that especially if we have to cut almost $1 million from the budget. We’d be in trouble.”

The coverage is through 1st Source and there is a $10,000 deductible per inmate with a maximum of $240,000 per inmate.

Norem was unsure how many times the county has had to activate that policy, but she said she would rather have the coverage.

The 2019 premium will be at a cost of $24,820.