A proposal to expand Medicaid to tens of thousands of residents in one of the poorest states in the U.S. is still alive in the Mississippi Legislature. But Senate Republicans changed the plan Wednesday so it would cover far fewer people and bring less federal money to the state.
Mississippi State Senate Medicaid Committee Chairman Kevin Blackwell, R-Southaven, entertains questions from committee members on a proposal to expand Medicaid benefits to tens of thousands of residents, during its meeting, Wednesday, March 27, 2024, in the Mississippi State Capitol. However, the senate proposal would cover fewer people than the House version.
Dubbing the plan Medicaid expansion “lite,” Blackwell said it would increase eligibility for the government-funded health insurance program that covers low-income people. But it extends eligibility only to those making up to 100% of the federal poverty level, just over $15,000 for one person. That is down from the 138% figure approved by the House, just under $21,000 for one person.
Opponents of Medicaid expansion say the program would foster government dependency, increase wait times for health services and push people off private insurance. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves is among those critics, and is likely to veto any Medicaid expansion. Among the 10 states that haven’t expanded Medicaid, only Georgia has managed to tie a work requirement to a partial expansion of benefits. But the state only requires people to document 80 monthly hours of work, 40 hours less than what Mississippi senators have proposed. Georgia’s program has seen. Only 2,350 people enrolled in the program from July 1 to mid-December, far fewer than the 100,000 that Gov. Brian Kemp’s administration projected the program might cover.
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