Call or email Governor Reeves, Lieutenant Governor Hosemann, Speaker Gunn, and your legislators to urge them to expand Medicaid NOW! Tell them to do what’s best for Mississippi by accepting the federal incentives and the hospitals’ self -tax proposal. The vehicle that will allow for this to happen is the Medicaid Tech/SB 2799 (which is back in play). Their contact info is at the bottom of this page.
What do the incentives to expand Medicaid included in the Federal COVID Relief Bill do for Mississippi? Healthcare experts estimate that over the next two years Mississippi would receive from the Federal Government somewhere in the range of $690 million to $890 million in cash payments to expand Medicaid. If the State were to accept our hospitals’ offer to self-tax and charge a modest premium to participants, the State would receive an additional $400 million in new revenue beyond the cost of expansion for two years.
Simply put, the State would get two years of new revenue. The estimates of total new revenue generated by the Federal incentive payments and a self-tax, small-premium expansion program range from $1.1 billion to $1.3 billion. Again, this revenue is NEW money after the cost of paying for expanded coverage is met.
In effect, Mississippi is being offered a plan that does the following:
- Covers at least 200,000 currently uninsured Mississippians, and gives them access to cost–efficient preventive care
- Reduces the current $660 million annual cost of uncompensated care to our hospitals by 40 to 50%
- Saves 22 financially struggling hospitals
- Creates 19,000 new jobs
- Generates $600 million in new economic activity annually
- Produces $200 million of new revenue each year beyond the two years of Federal incentive contributions
- Helps Mississippi deal with the severe human and economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has long term implications
This is one of the largest long-term economic investments the State of Mississippi will have ever made. It produces more jobs than the tax incentive programs that attracted Toyota, Nissan, and other large employers. In those deals, the State gave money to produce new jobs. In this Federal incentive program, we are being offered payments to increase access to quality healthcare and produce jobs for our residents.
Opponents say Mississippi cannot afford to expand health care access. Working Together Mississippi says we cannot afford to NOT expand! We must act now.
Call or email our elected officials and urge them to expand Medicaid NOW! The vehicle that will allow for this to happen is the Medicaid Tech/SB 2799 (which is back in play).
Governor Reeves: (601) 359-3150 or email governor@govreeves.ms.gov
Speaker Gunn: (601)359-3300
Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann: (601) 359-3200 or email ltgov@senate.ms.gov.
Use this link to obtain contact information for legislators: www.openstates.org
For more information, contact Perry Perkins at pcperkins@gmail.com or call 504-442-0714.