§15A-4-13. Charges assessed against inmates for services provided by state.
(a) The commissioner is authorized to assess inmates serving a sentence in any state jail, penal, or correctional facility reasonable charges for health care and treatment services provided to them by the state. The charges assessed against an inmate may be deducted directly from the inmate’s trustee account without the inmate’s consent. The inmate shall be notified of the amount deducted and the charges to which it has been applied.
(b) As used in this section, a “reasonable charge” may not exceed the sum of $25 for any billable service. Inmates shall be notified of the fee schedule, billable services, and exempt services. Services initiated by the inmate shall be assessed a fee, except that no charge may be assessed for: (1) a specific health care service required under the law of this state, including, by way of illustration, tuberculin testing; (2) an emergency service following a traumatic injury other than a self-induced injury, or necessary to prevent death or severe or permanent disability; (3) diagnosis and treatment of communicable diseases, including, by way of illustration, tuberculosis or hepatitis; (4) treatment of diagnosed severe mental illness; (5) treatment of specific chronic conditions identified by the commissioner, including, by way of illustration, heart disease and diabetes; (6) staff-initiated care, including follow-up and referral visits; (7) preventive services that the commissioner determines are to be provided or made available to all inmates, including services related to disease prevention and promotion of proper health habits; or (8) other services as may be exempted by rule of the commissioner. No inmate may be denied any necessary billable medical service because of inability to pay the charge.
(c) Any inmate who intentionally ingests, inhales, injects, absorbs, applies, or otherwise exposes himself or herself to, in any manner whatsoever not otherwise specified herein, an illegal drug, a drug not legally prescribed to him or her, a drug in quantities above that recommended by a prescribing physician, a synthetic intoxicant, or any substance for the purpose of causing an excited, euphoric, or stupefied state, or altered perception, including hallucinations or delusions, and the inmate requires medical treatment due to the ingestion, inhalation, injection, absorption, application, or exposure shall reimburse the cost of the medical treatment to the division.
(d) Each inmate shall be afforded an opportunity at least quarterly to review all deposits into, withdrawals from, and balance remaining in the inmate’s trustee account during the preceding three months.
(e) The commissioner shall promulgate interpretive rules implementing this section pursuant to §29A-3-1 et seq. of this code prior to making any assessment under this section. The policy directive rules may establish the fee schedule and list of billable services and further define services to be exempted.
