Care4Mississippi

01/07/2026

On December 9th, Care4Mississippi convened advocates, community members, and providers for a thoughtful discussion on healthcare access and affordability in Mississippi. The Policy Luncheon created space to explore the impacts of H.R. 1, examine policy priorities shaping healthcare affordability, and engage in meaningful dialogue about what access looks like across our state.

We were grateful to be joined by panelists John Dillon Harris, Dr. Sandra Melvin, and Kaylan Szafranski, whose insights helped ground the conversation in both local and federal perspectives. Thank you to everyone who attended, shared ideas, and continues to show up for health equity in Mississippi.

We also extend our sincere thanks to the Mississippi Center for Justice and the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program (MHAP) for sponsoring the event and supporting these important conversations.

10/15/2025

Mississippians in the ACA Marketplace will be looking at a 314% in their premiums in the coming year! Join us for a week of action to ask Congress to make these tax credits permanent and repeal harmful health care cuts. Click the link in our bio for more information!

10/15/2025

ACA Marketplace enhanced premium tax credits (ePTCs) help Mississippians afford their monthly premiums. However, they are set to expire this year unless Congress acts. Join us for a week of action to ask Congress to make these tax credits permanent and repeal harmful health care cuts. Click the link in our bio for more information!

08/13/2025

Stay informed and prepared. 📢 These are the upcoming OBBB deadlines that could impact you. Knowing the dates is the first step in making your voice heard.

07/26/2025

Work requirements don’t work — they hurt.� Mississippi is one of just 10 states that hasn’t expanded Medicaid. Now, under the "One Big Beautiful Bill," states that do expand will be forced to implement harmful work requirements.
Here’s the truth:� Most Medicaid recipients already work. These requirements don’t boost employment — they just make it harder for people to get care.

07/25/2025

"Undoubtedly one of the worst things the law does – and that is a high bar – is to mandate a Medicaid work requirement for Medicaid expansion or expansion-related enrollees in all states that have expanded Medicaid, starting on January 1, 2027. The work requirements do not apply to other Medicaid populations (such as section 1931 parents or other traditional groups), and thus do not apply in states that haven’t expanded Medicaid coverage thus far, including Alabama, Florida, Kansas, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and Wyoming."

The new budget reconciliation law (aka OBBB — the One Big Beautiful Bill) makes the largest Medicaid cut in history ($990 billion over ten years). It will likely take health insurance away fr…

07/21/2025

Despite the political spin, the “one big beautiful bill” will hurt Mississippians — not help them. It threatens access to health care and makes it harder for families to put food on the table.

This isn’t a political issue. It’s a moral one.

07/07/2025

The Reconciliation bill is now law, threatening health coverage for 170,000 Mississippians.

Thank you to our partners for your tireless advocacy. Together, we will continue working to inform communities and protect access to care.

07/03/2025

🚨 The Reconciliation bill will harm rural Mississippi hospitals.

Here’s how:
💸 Provider Tax Limits: MS would lose the ability to use key provider taxes that help fund Medicaid, risking cuts to eligibility, services, and provider pay.
⚠️ Caps on State-Directed Payments: New limits would prevent MS from paying rural hospitals more to keep them afloat — and gradually slash existing payment arrangements.
🏥 DSH Payments at Risk: Safety-net hospitals that serve low-income and uninsured patients may lose crucial funding that helps cover uncompensated care.
📉 Massive Rural Revenue Losses: Rural hospitals could lose $87 billion over 10 years — far more than the proposed rural grants can replace.

The bottom line: This bill ties Mississippi’s hands and threatens to shut down rural hospitals across the state. Our communities deserve better.

06/27/2025

🚨 Mississippi could lose 7,800 jobs if the Medicaid cuts in the "Big Beautiful Bill" are implemented — triggering widespread economic decline.
According to a June 23 brief from The Commonwealth Fund, the impact would be devastating:
👩‍⚕️ Health-related job losses: 4,600
🏭 Non-health-related job losses: 3,300
📉 Total job losses: 7,800
💸 Estimated hit to Mississippi’s economy: $1.5 BILLION over 10 years
Mississippi is already one of the most medically underserved states in the U.S. Cutting thousands of health care jobs would severely limit access to primary, preventative, and life-saving care — especially for those who need it most.
This isn’t just a health care issue — it’s an economic crisis in the making.

06/27/2025

🚨 8 Mississippi hospitals are at risk of closing due to drastic federal health care cuts proposed in the "Big Beautiful Bill."

This bill would slash over $1 TRILLION from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, and cut $500 BILLION from Medicare — the largest health care cuts in U.S. history.

A recent Senate report, with research from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research at the University of North Carolina, warns that Mississippi’s rural hospitals are especially vulnerable.

🛑 These hospitals could close:

Alliance Healthcare System (Holly Springs)
Delta Health - Northwest Regional (Clarksdale)
Baptist Memorial Hospital (Booneville)
Greenwood Leflore Hospital (Greenwood)
Jeff Anderson Regional Medical Center (Meridian)
Highland Community Hospital (Picayune)
Panola Medical Center (Batesville)
Baptist Medical Center Yazoo (Yazoo City)
Our rural communities deserve better. Lives are at stake.

https://www.markey.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/letter_on_rural_hospitals.pdf

06/21/2025

🌟 "Health Word of the Week" 🌟
We’re here to help everyone better understand healthcare advocacy, one word at a time!
💡 Every Friday, we’ll break down a key healthcare term to help you navigate the system with confidence.
This week’s word: Uncompensated Care
Let’s build a more informed, empowered community together! 💚