And an older population means more expensive health care. In Michigan, a state study found that in a single year (2009) health care for inmates ages 55 to 59 cost more than four times more than for those aged 20 to 24. In Georgia, caring for prisoners ages 65 or older costs about $8,565 per inmate each year. The average annual health-care cost for Georgian prisoners under 65? $961 per inmate. So, what’s a state to do? According to experts interviewed by Pew, states are trying to rein in costs by providing remote health care, outsourcing it altogether, enrolling prisoners in Medicaid and paroling elderly or sick inmates. Mississippi’s three-year-old program to enroll prisoners in Medicaid generates about $6 ...