England, Singleton Want “YesCare” Prosecuted

Two West Alabama Democrat state lawmakers are demanding the former healthcare provider for Alabama's prisons be prosecuted for Aggravated Theft by Deception of Public Funds. Tuscaloosa Rep. Chris England and Greensboro Senator Bobby Singleton showed up at Wednesday’s Joint Prison Oversight Committee meeting wearing bright yellow t-shirts with #PROSECUTE YESCARE emblazoned on them.

The legislator's message was that YesCare took state funds provided by state taxpayers to pay employees, failed to make all the payments and has kept the bulk of the money. When asked by the Alabama Department of Corrections (ADOC) what happened to the rest of the money, a company official reportedly told the agency it was spent on "other things."

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YesCare Health Services has a mixed-to-poor overall reputation, shaped by employee reviews, public reporting, and recent legal/financial troubles. Management instability, payroll problems, and high turnover were known before ADOC contracted with YesCare, but they were still picked to provide services in Alabama.

“It’s to the point where if it takes a damn T-Shirt to get out there and make people go look this stuff up and actually advocating for these changes, I’m willing to do whatever it takes,” England told the meeting. “This is out of control.”

As previously reported by Tuscaloosa Thread, YesCare Health has been involved in well documented litigation, including a $307 million verdict in a malpractice lawsuit for providing substandard care to inmates. Creditors have accused the company of using bankruptcy to shield assets from malpractice and wrongful death claims. There have also been allegations of asset-shielding through corporate restructuring. The litigation history is large and well‑documented, and recent cases have had severe financial consequences for the company. YesCare also has a reputation of not paying hospital claims and has been sued over nearly a half-million dollars in unpaid legal fees.

Rep. England, who is a longtime critic of the troubled state prison system, said YesCare is an example of how, “The people who need it the least, robbed from the people that need it the most."

The state's $1 billion contract with YesCare that was supposed to run through September of 2027, was terminated in April.