Mississippi Medical Association to push for Medicaid expansion in coming legislative session
The new president of the Mississippi State Medical Association says Medicaid expansion will be a primary focus of the group’s advocacy when the legislature returns this fall.
“We’re going to continue the Medicaid expansion conversation this year,” Dr. Jennifer Bryan announced after assuming the position at the MSMA, which represents more than 5,000 doctors, medical students and Mississippi residents. “Just across our state, we’ve got so many people who are working hard to pay the bills, to put food on the table and then also to access health care. Many of these people are working hard and have dual incomes and can’t afford the astronomical cost of health insurance.”
The legislature appeared to be close to addressing the issue of Medicaid expansion during the 2023-2024 session, despite a threatened veto by Gov. Tate Reeves, but the deliberations ultimately fell apart. Expansion would extend largely free healthcare coverage to 200,000 more low-income Mississippi adults.
Lawmakers have deliberated expanding Medicaid for more than a decade, and during the last session the state Senate passed a scaled-down version with a veto-proof majority; a corresponding House measure initially hinged on the federal government approving a work requirement of 120 hours per month for beneficiaries, though that provision was later altered. Efforts to reconcile the bills collapsed in May 2024.
Mississippi is one of 10 states that have declined to expand Medicaid and accept billions in federal healthcare funding for impoverished residents under the Affordable Care Act. In addition to depriving thousands of Mississippi residents of coverage, declining the funding has hurt providers, particularly rural hospitals.
MSMA board member Dr. Roderick Givens told NPR in May 2024 that the legislature’s refusal to expand Medicaid was a result of “the stupidity of politics.”
In states that have not adopted Medicaid expansion, hundreds of thousands of people fall into what is known as the coverage gap, earning too much to qualify for Medicaid but ineligible for subsidies to help pay for private insurance. Many cannot afford premiums and other out of pocket costs on employer-sponsored insurance. Mississippi’s proposed expansion during the last legislative session would have included some 74,000 people who currently find themselves in the gap.
House Speaker Jason White (R-West), who supports Medicaid expansion, has noted that there is growing interest in accepting the funds due to pressure from the business community, though hurdles remain, including that some conservative lawmakers consider expansion a “handout” associated with the Obama administration.
Image: Dr. Jennifer Bryan (Aug. 16, 2024, WLBT News report)
Well I would like Mississippi and all states to be more independent from requiring funds provided by the Federal government but that is not likely at this time. Ideally we would all pay less Federal income tax and more state income tax to be spent at home, without the waste of Federal oversight and regulation. Although Mississippi benefits from Federal money I would like the state to resolve the problem with under insured citizens. Lets drop the state income tax to 1% for incomes under $50,000 and have a progressive rate up to 7% (or more) for incomes over $500,000. The lower tax rate allows a low income person another $2000/yr in take home pay. The high tax rate gives the state another $10,000 per wealthy person to use for state operated healthcare assistance. These numbers may not work exactly but something could be done to help the under insured and allow Mississippi to take care of its people without more Federal interference. Maybe the state could also incentivize small businesses to provide group insurance since the group rates are discounted. Amen.