OAKLAND —The Detroit Free Press has reported skyrocketing costs associated with contracted medical care for inmates in Oakland County jails. According to a front page, December 11, 1997 article, "[h]ospitalizations have nearly tripled and health care costs have soared 86% under a 2-year old plan to save tax dollars by privatizing medical care for Oakland County Jail inmates."

The contract, an exclusive arrangement between Oakland County and Pontiac Osteopathic Hospital, has facilitated such treatment as carpal tunnel and tear duct surgery of inmates who were scheduled to be released from jail and county responsibility just days after the surgery. In addition, overtime pay to deputies charged with handling jail inmates has increased by more than $1 million due to the additional inmates making trips to the hospital.

The culprit in this expensive outsourcing lesson may be a lack of controls built into the contract. Other counties are not nearly as generous with non-emergency treatment. In Kent County, the Detroit Free Press reports, carpal tunnel patients would receive a splint, not surgery.