Health

Mississippi has some of the worst health outcomes in the United States. Many rural hospitals in our state face a cash crunch.

Some argue that the solution is to expand Medicaid. Others point out that Medicaid coverage in Mississippi has been expanding.

In 2023, approximately $7.2 billion will be spent on Medicaid in Mississippi, and there has been a 22 percent increase in Medicaid enrolment in the state in the past three years.  With 880,000 people already on Medicaid in our state, further expansion would add an extra 300,000. 

In order to improve health outcomes in our state, we believe there need to be changes to public policy:   

• Certificate of Need laws:  Thanks to arcane Certificate of Need (CON) laws, it is often impossible to expand, or even change, health care services in certain critical areas.  Removing these restrictive CON laws would increase the number of providers and reduce costs for patients.  We have been leading the charge against CON laws, seeking to end CON laws through both legislation and litigation.

• Non-insurance alternatives:  Health reform should aim to help those on low incomes who are currently unable to afford private medical coverage.  One idea we are exploring is subscription-based primary care provision.   

Listen to our discussion below with Dr. Lee Gross from Florida about how this non-insurance model could provide better health coverage in our state.   

• Pharmacists:  Allowing qualified pharmacists to prescribe certain medicines in carefully monitored circumstances would also reduce costs and relays for patients.   

• Out-of-state providers:  Allowing more out-of-state providers to practice across state lines would lower costs and allow more telehealth provision – something especially important for rural areas.