Sec. 1. 30-A MRSA §1561, first ¶, as repealed and replaced by PL 1995, c. 201, §1, is amended to read:

Any person incarcerated in a county jail has a right to adequate professional medical care for illnesses or injuries that arise during incarceration, which does not include medical treatment requested by the prisoner that the facility's treating physician determines unnecessary. The county commissioners may establish medical and dental fees not to exceed $5 for the medical and dental services that are provided pursuant to this section and a fee not to exceed $5 for prescriptions, medication or prosthetic devices. Except as provided in subsection 1, every prisoner may be charged a medical or dental services fee for each medical or dental visit and a fee for each prescription, medication or prosthetic device. The facility shall collect the fee. All money received by a county jail under this section is retained by the jail to offset the costs of medical and dental services fees and fees for prescriptions, medication or prosthetic devices.

SUMMARY

This bill limits the obligation of a county to provide county jail inmates with medical and dental services at taxpayer expense to illnesses and injuries that arise during incarceration.