Report ranks Mississippi last in the nation for health system performance during pandemic

A new report from The Commonwealth Fund ranked Mississippi last in the nation for health system performance.

States Extend Medicaid for New Mothers — Even as They Reject Broader Expansion

Until last year, Georgia’s Medicaid coverage for new moms with low incomes lasted 60 days.

Mississippi officials did what South Dakota leaders couldn’t — block Medicaid expansion

The South Dakota Republican leadership, like many of their counterparts in Mississippi, oppose accepting federal funds to provide health insurance for primarily the working poor.

Influential Delta business group calls for Medicaid expansion

A major economic development organization that represents the 19 Mississippi Delta counties on Monday called for lawmakers to expand Medicaid.

‘It makes it hard to work’: The real cost of not expanding Medicaid in Mississippi

Briana Wright has worked all her adult life. The 27-year-old Kosciusko resident has been a crew member at McDonald’s for three years. Wright is stuck in what is commonly referred to as the healthcare coverage gap.

Republican legislators oppose Medicaid expansion, but want federal dollars to pay for prisoner healthcare

State Republicans have balked at expanding Medicaid, but are embracing legislation that would take advantage of the federal program to pay for healthcare for very sick incarcerated people — and likely create a money-making opportunity for nursing homes.

Medicaid expansion would boost economy significantly more than Gunn income tax cut, studies show

Expanding Medicaid would provide a significantly bigger boost to the Mississippi economy than the far-reaching tax cut proposed by House Speaker Philip Gunn, according to studies from the nonpartisan state economist’s office.

Mississippi physicians’ group lobbies for options to expand Medicaid

The largest physician group in Mississippi will pursue options to expand Medicaid in the state despite opposition from two statewide top political leaders.

Congress considers Medicaid expansion workaround to provide health care to poor Mississippians

Democrats in the U.S. Congress are considering a way to offer health care insurance for low-income Mississippians who have been denied coverage because of the refusal of the state’s political leadership to expand Medicaid.

State economist refutes politicians’ claim that Mississippi cannot afford Medicaid expansion

The most common refrain of prominent Mississippi elected officials who have long rejected the expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act — that the state cannot afford the costs of the program — was refuted this week by the state’s leading economic expert.

Mississippi Hospitals Are Suing Patients Over Medical Debt. Here's How To Fix That.

An investigation by the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting found the billing and collections practices of St. Dominic’s Hospital in Jackson had devastating impacts on patients.

How We Did It

This week, the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting published a project looking into nonprofit hospitals and medical debt lawsuits.