Medicaid Expansion Gains Traction in Republican-Dominated Mississippi 

By Consumers for Quality Care, on May 1, 2024

Republican legislators in Mississippi are exploring a proposal to expand Medicaid in order to provide coverage for more residents, Axios reports. 

For years, Republicans rejected the idea of embracing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). But now, as more than 40 percent of rural hospitals in the state face closure because of their inability to access federal Medicaid funding, Mississippi lawmakers see expansion as a lifeline: the best way to stop the trend of rural hospital closures. 

House Speaker Jason White is leading the charge, advocating for Medicaid expansion as “the best way” to provide proper health care coverage for Mississippi’s uninsured population. As many as 200,000 low-income residents could gain health insurance coverage if Mississippi expands Medicaid this year.  

CQC is encouraged that legislators in Mississippi are considering proposals to expand coverage and provide affordable, quality health care to those who need it most.