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Abstract: 

Spending on health care is rising everywhere. As a percentage of correctional budgets, health spending is outstripping almost every other category. Recently the Government Accountability Office (GAO) completed an audit of health spending in the Federal Bureau of Prisons. This article summarizes the audit’s main findings, examines the root causes of the BOP’s escalating health costs, and offers important comparisons between the BOP’s experience and those of state and local correctional agencies as well as the general population. Lessons from GAO report point the way to better practices, not just for federal prisons, but for all care providers.

Keywords: Federal Bureau of Prisons; Health Care Spending

Affiliations:  1: Correctional Health Care Report.