Briana Wright has worked all her adult life. The 27-year-old Kosciusko resident has been a crew member at McDonald’s for three years. Before that, she worked for Tyson Foods, where she mostly hung chickens for processing.
Wright is stuck in what is commonly referred to as the healthcare coverage gap. She is one of the 300,000 or so Mississippians with no health insurance because she can’t afford private health insurance but doesn’t qualify for Medicaid.
States have had the option to expand Medicaid eligibility to most people with incomes under a certain level — about $30,300 annually for a family of three — since 2014. Mississippi remains one of 12 states not to expand despite profound financial benefits and an increased federal matching rate under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.
As Wright and other Mississippians in similar positions continue to struggle, state lawmakers once again have decided not to consider expansion and do not seem poised to do so anytime soon.
The current program covers the disabled, poor pregnant women, children and some elderly people. Generally speaking, able-bodied adults are not eligible for Medicaid in Mississippi.
If state leaders were to expand Medicaid, at least 225,000 Mississippians would qualify for healthcare coverage — including Wright.