From the Editor
by Paul Wright
This month’s cover story reports onWellpath, formerly known as Correct Care Solutions, a hedge fund-owned private prison health care company. PLN has long reported on prison medical care in general and privatized care in particular, with what is now a lengthy history of medical neglect, deaths, maimings and profit chasing. We have reported frequently on Wellpath and other private medical companies such as Corizon, Wexford, Armor, NaphCare, Centurion and more. Despite promises to provide better quality medical care at a lower price than the government, the main track record these companies have is of enriching their owners at the expense of taxpayers and prisoners alike, while killing and maiming the prisoners in their care. The industry’s entire business model is premised on getting paid as much money by the government as possible while providing as few services as possible.
Another problem with these companies is their lack of transparency. The Human Rights Defense Center (HRDC), which publishes PLN, is currently suing Wellpath in state court in Vermont seeking disclosure of their litigation payouts. The company claims it is not subject to the state’s public records laws. The case is currently pending and we will report the outcome once it is resolved.
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