Hiral Rao

Rev. Charlton Johnson only joined Together for Hope as leader of its Delta region in September, but he began thinking about Medicaid expansion long before that.  Together for Hope, an organization that works with people in the poorest counties in the country, has ramped up its efforts advocating for Medicaid expansion in Mississippi. The nonprofit […]

Advocates for expanding Medicaid say opposition is largely being driven by political polarization, rather than cost concerns. Givens, who is also chair of the board of trustees for the Mississippi State Medical Association, which supports Medicaid expansion, said the federal government would pay for the vast majority of it and that most Mississippians support it. “Why does that […]

Medicaid has been expanded as is allowed under the ACA in 40 states, and a record number of Americans (20 million) have health insurance through another component of the ACA, the marketplace exchange. An estimated 250,000 Mississippians have health insurance — most receiving federal financial help — through the ACA marketplace exchange. And the Mississippi […]

Lincoln County legislators Sen. Jason Barrett and Rep. Becky Currie offered reflections on the Mississippi legislature failing to expand Medicaid at a legislative breakfast held on May 16. Talks at the end of the session broke down and efforts to expand medicaid died.  Barrett said he was proud of the fact the legislature discussed a bill […]

HB 1647 also creates the Mississippi Health Insurance State Exchange Trust Fund that is to be used to support the creation, implementation or operation of the state exchange overseen by the Commissioner of Insurance. The Trust Fund is funded through a 3.5 percent fee assessed on the gross premiums charged on all policies sold on the […]

There is a reason first-term House Speaker Jason White has been more out front in his support of Medicaid expansion than perhaps any other Mississippi Republican leader. Granted, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann for years has talked favorably about Medicaid expansion, but he was slow to act – primarily because he knew getting a bill out […]

One thing is certain, the Mississippi Legislature in 2024 saw and heard an effective demonstration of the depth and breadth of public support for an expanded Medicaid program that provides a path to health care for working Mississippians. And it would be disingenuous to suggest that likewise state lawmakers saw and heard that there is […]

Now that the dust is settling, advocates say their frustrations are fueling them to push ahead. “Recognize the bravery that it took to even get this far,” said Mississippi’s Black Women’s Roundtable Executive Director Cassandra Welchlin. “But again, politics came into place, and that is unfortunate and really disappointing.” “We want to reach out to different communities,” explained Sylvia-Nicole Cecchi, Care4Mississippi Project Coordinator. “We want to […]

Some suggested Hosemann has decided to run for governor in 2027. They saw his obstinacy as a move to appease the more conservative wing of the Mississippi Republican Party. Others suggested he lost control of his Senate. They saw him trying to make the best of his weakened position. Whatever the case, the wrench left […]

Work requirements have long been central to the Republican goal of instilling a sense of “personal responsibility” in people who benefit from government programs. Data suggests that the majority of Medicaid enrollees have jobs. But in Arkansas, thousands of people lost Medicaid coverage after the state imposed a work requirement in 2018, largely because of the onerous paperwork and […]

Despite months of work from both House and Senate lawmakers to expand Medicaid, the legislation that could have given about 200,000 working poor Mississippians healthcare has died. After House and Senate negotiators agreed on a compromised iteration of House Bill 1725 Monday, and after both chambers sent the bill back for further negotiations on Wednesday, […]

Success is by no means a sure thing. The compromise will still need to clear both chambers and probably overcome a gubernatorial veto. Just as importantly, as the Mississippi Free Press noted, it will be up to the Biden administration to approve the onerous and unnecessary work requirements in this proposal — and the Democratic administration […]

A Medicaid expansion plan endorsed by leaders in the Republican-led Mississippi Legislature could struggle for bipartisan support because it includes a work requirement that is unlikely to receive federal approval, the state House Democratic leader said Tuesday. Approving the plan could create false hope among people who want Medicaid coverage but might not receive it, […]

House leaders had opposed the Senate’s strict work requirement because it would prevent Medicaid expansion from taking effect unless the federal government approves the kind of work-requirement waiver that it has rejected in the past. But House lawmakers gave in and agreed to the Senate’s latest proposal minutes before an 8 p.m. deadline on Monday […]

For a decade, House Democrats have been beating the drum — often when it seemed no one else was listening — to expand Medicaid to provide health care for working poor Mississippians. It looks as though a large majority of those House Democrats as early as Wednesday will vote against and possibly kill a bill […]

Mississippi lawmakers are expected to vote this week on a proposal that would expand Medicaid coverage to tens of thousands more people, but it includes a work requirement that might not win federal approval. The state House and Senate passed separate expansion plans earlier this year. With the four-month legislative session pushing into its final […]

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves has reportedly pledged to oppose any Medicaid expansion deal that may emerge before the legislature adjourns in early May,so lawmakers would likely need a veto-proof majority to approve an expansion. Austin Barbour, a Republican strategist who works in Mississippi politics, said he expects lawmakers will reach a deal. But if they don’t, “I know […]

How has the program impacted Arkansas? Thompson: For starters, it cut our adult uninsured rate, which had been among the highest in the nation, by half. Newly insured Arkansans gained access to treatment for chronic conditions that had gone untreated for years, as well as preventive care that allowed them to avoid other health problems and associated costs. […]

Although Reeves remains adamantly opposed to traditional Medicaid expansion, which is currently being considered by the Legislature, his newly-approved initiative would make an expansion program more lucrative for Mississippi hospitals. Thursday’s announcement means Medicaid will reimburse hospitals for inpatient and outpatient fee-for-service care at Medicare rates — closer to rates commercial insurance plans pay — […]