Mississippi Today
Experts analyze House, Senate Medicaid expansion proposals, offer compromise plan
As Mississippi lawmakers look for compromise between widely differing House and Senate Mississippi Medicaid expansion plans, experts with a health research group have projected the costs, savings and efficacy of the plans and offered a third, potential compromise plan.
The analysis shows that under each plan, the state would see net annual savings – ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions of dollars – by expanding the state-federal Medicaid program to cover working, poor and uninsured Mississippians. The plans, the study says, also vary widely in how many Mississippians would be covered – from around 50,000 to nearly 200,000.
The study was commissioned by the Center for Mississippi Health Policy and conducted by the Hilltop Institute at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Hilltop has studied Medicaid expansion nationwide and recently testified before the Mississippi House Medicaid Committee.
“We wanted to get some updated numbers based on publicly available data,” said Morgan Henderson, director of analytics and research for Hilltop. “We really want to make sure folks having these discussions have data points they need.”
The study takes the House and Senate plans at face value, even though both contain elements not likely to be approved by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The Senate plan, for instance, includes a stringent work requirement for coverage that, besides potentially costing millions in administrative fees, isn’t likely to be approved by CMS.
Both the House and Senate plans contain another potential poison pill that could prevent expansion from being implemented. They have 12-month moratoriums on people who qualify for the expanded Medicaid coverage from dropping private coverage and applying for Medicaid. CMS is highly unlikely to approve this, and such moratoriums would probably not meet constitutional muster in a court.
The options
Mississippi Senate plan
One striking difference between the Senate plan and the House and compromise plans is the Senate one would turn down about $1 billion a year in federal money to cover more expansion costs. It also would forego nearly $700 million over the first two years in enhanced federal funding that some refer to as a “signing bonus” for states that fully expand Medicaid per the federal Affordable Care Act.
The Senate plan would provide coverage to people making up to 100% of the federal poverty level – about $15,000 a year for an individual. Hilltop estimates this plan would cover about 54,000 people, although Senate leaders said they estimate about 40,000 people would sign up.
The Senate plan would require participants to work 120 hours a month or be enrolled as a full-time student or in a workforce training program. It would exempt some from this requirement, including parents of children under 6, people mentally or physically unable to work or those who are caregivers to disabled family members.
Cost
The state’s upfront cost of the Senate plan would be paid by a 3% tax on Medicaid managed care providers.
Hilltop estimates the Senate plan would cost the state a little over $114 million per year, including $15 million in administrative costs. But when these costs are offset by the tax on providers, the economic stimulus of expansion and other offsets or revenue, Hilltop estimates a net savings to the state of $43.4 million a year.
Mississippi House plan
The House plan would provide Medicaid coverage for people making up to 138% of federal poverty level, a little more than $20,00 a year for an individual. Hilltop estimates this would cover about 134,000 Mississippians (again, factoring in the “moratorium” on leaving private coverage).
The House plan calls for work requirements – 20 hours a week or enrollment as a student or in workforce development – but would still go into effect without the requirements if CMS fails to approve them.
Under this plan, Mississippi would draw down about $1 billion a year in increased federal Medicaid payments, and over the first two years, another nearly $700 million in enhanced federal payments.
Cost
The state share of upfront costs for the House plan would be covered by a 4% tax on Medicaid managed care providers.
Hilltop estimates the House plan, with no work requirement approved, would cost a little over $115 million, including $8 million in administrative costs. But when these are offset by the tax on providers, economic stimulus and other offsets or revenue, Hilltop estimates an annual savings for the state of more than $404 million a year for the first two years, then $79.5 million a year for the third year and beyond.
House Speaker Jason White and others have noted that the enhanced federal payments to the state totaling nearly $700 million over the first two years would cover all state costs for the first four years of the House expansion plan. White also noted that the House plan, even if a work requirement is not approved, would require the managed care organizations to track employment and other data from those covered.
Compromise ‘hybrid plan‘
Hilltop’s “Mississippi MarketPlus Hybrid Plan” would offer expanded Medicaid coverage through the state’s managed care program for those making under 100% of the federal poverty level. For those making 100% to 138% (up to $20,000 for an individual) of poverty level, the plan would use federal money to provide assistance for them to buy private insurance plans through Mississippi’s marketplace exchange.
Hilltop estimates this plan would provide coverage for 197,000 Mississippians.
The plan would require managed care companies to provide employment support and require mandatory referral to workforce training. It would also require those covered to pay marketplace insurance co-pays, but would not include a work requirement or moratorium on people leaving private insurance.
Like the House plan, this plan is expected to qualify the state for enhanced federal Medicaid payments and the two-year “signing bonus” of nearly $700 million.
Cost
The plan, like the Senate’s, includes a 3% tax on Medicaid managed care providers to help cover state costs.
Hilltop estimates the upfront cost to the state for this plan would be a little more than $186 million, including $12 million in administrative costs (including work support). But these would be offset by the tax on providers, economic stimulus from expansion and other offsets or revenue. Hilltop estimates a net savings to the state for this plan of more than $356 million a year for the first two years, then $31.3 million a year in savings for years three and up.
The Hilltop study also noted this plan would allow the state to receive a 90% federal match for services currently funded only with state dollars, including hospital services for incarcerated people and some behavioral health services.
Other findings
Hilltop’s report says that Medicaid work requirements – when they were previously allowed by the feds – have not shown to increase workforce participation. It said, “Moreover, the Arkansas experience demonstrates that the administrative burden in reporting work status can lead to Medicaid coverage loss for the working poor – thus hurting the exact individuals designed to be covered under work requirements.”
A Georgia program similar to the Mississippi Senate’s plan in several regards, has shown that stringent work requirements result in low enrollment and high administrative costs, the Hilltop study notes. As of recently, the Georgia program had enrolled only a few thousand people and over 90% of its costs to-date have been administrative costs and consulting fees. Georgia is still battling the federal government in court over its work requirements.
The Hilltop study found the Senate’s plan “contains high budget risk” to the state. Since the plan eschews extra federal funding available for expansion, “if enrollment exceeds estimates, there would be proportionally greater budget overruns in the Senate version than the alternative plans.” It noted that to protect state coffers, language could be inserted to the House or hybrid plan that rescinds the expansion should the enhanced federal match drop.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
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https://www.biloxinewsevents.com/?p=349711
The University of Mississippi Medical Center has acquired Canton-based Merit Health Madison and is preparing to move a pediatric clinic to Madison, continuing a trend of moving services to Jackson’s suburbs.
The 67-bed hospital, now called UMMC Madison, will provide a wide range of community hospital services, including emergency services, medical-surgical care, intensive care, cardiology, neurology, general surgery and radiology services. It also will serve as a training site for medical students, and it plans to offer OB-GYN care in the future.
“As Mississippi’s only academic medical center, we must continue to be focused on our three-part mission to educate the next generation of health care providers, conduct impactful research and deliver accessible high-quality health care,” Dr. LouAnn Woodward, UMMC’s vice chancellor of health affairs, said in a statement. “Every decision we make is rooted in our mission.”
The new facility will help address space constraints at the medical center’s main campus in Jackson by freeing up hospital beds, imaging services and operating areas, said Dr. Alan Jones, associate vice chancellor for health affairs.
UMMC physicians have performed surgeries and other procedures at the hospital in Madison since 2019. UMMC became the full owner of the hospital May 1 after purchasing it from Franklin, Tennessee-based Community Health Systems.
The Batson Kids Clinic, which offers pediatric primary care, will move to the former Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine location in Madison. This space will allow the medical center to offer pediatric primary care and specialty services and resolve space issues that prevent the clinic from adding new providers, according to Institutions of Higher Learning board minutes.
A UMMC spokesperson did not respond to questions about the services that will be offered at the clinic or when it will begin accepting patients.
The Mississippi Center for Advanced Medicine, a pediatric subspecialty clinic, closed last year as a result of a settlement in a seven-year legal battle between the clinic and UMMC in a federal trade secrets lawsuit.
The changes come after the opening of UMMC’s Colony Park South clinic in Ridgeland in February. The clinic offers a range of specialty outpatient services, including surgical services. Another Ridgeland UMMC clinic, Colony Park North, will open in 2026.
The expansion of UMMC clinical services to Madison County has been criticized by state lawmakers and Jackson city leaders. The medical center does not need state approval to open new educational facilities. Critics say UMMC has used this exemption to locate facilities in wealthier, whiter neighborhoods outside Jackson while reducing services in the city.
UMMC did not respond to a request for comment about its movement of services to Madison County.
UMMC began removing clinical services this year from Jackson Medical Mall, which is in a majority-Black neighborhood with a high poverty rate. The medical center plans to reduce its square footage at the mall by about 75% in the next year.
The movement of health care services from Jackson to the suburbs is a “very troubling trend” that will make it more difficult for Jackson residents to access care, Democratic state Sen. John Horhn, who will become Jackson’s mayor July 1, previously told Mississippi Today.
Lawmakers sought to rein in UMMC’s expansion outside Jackson this year by passing a bill that would require the medical center to receive state approval before opening new educational medical facilities in areas other than the vicinity of its main campus and Jackson Medical Mall. Republican Gov. Tate Reeves vetoed the legislation, saying he opposed an unrelated provision in the bill.
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The post UMMC hospital madison county appeared first on mississippitoday.org
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
The article presents a primarily factual report on UMMC’s expansion into Madison County, outlining the medical center’s services and strategic decisions while including critiques from Democratic leaders and local officials about the suburban shift. The inclusion of concerns over equity and access—highlighting that the expansion is occurring in wealthier, whiter suburbs at the expense of services in majority-Black, poorer neighborhoods—leans the piece toward a center-left perspective, emphasizing social justice and community impact. However, the article maintains a measured tone by presenting statements from UMMC representatives and government officials without overt editorializing, thus keeping the overall coverage grounded in balanced reporting with a slight progressive framing.
Nationally known comedian Rita Brent will host the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute’s “Medgar at 100” Concert on June 28.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, June 14, and can be ordered on the institute’s website.
The concert will take place at the Jackson Convention Complex and is the capstone event of the “Medgar at 100” Celebration. Organizers are calling the event “a cultural tribute and concert honoring the enduring legacy of Medgar Wiley Evers.”
“My father believed in the power of people coming together — not just in protest, but in joy and purpose, and my mother and father loved music,” said Reena Evers-Everette, executive director of the institute. “This evening is about honoring his legacy with soul, celebration, and a shared commitment to carry his work forward. Through music and unity, we are creating space for remembrance, resilience, and the rising voices of a new generation.”
In addition to Brent, other featured performers include: actress, comedian and singer Tisha Campbell; soul R&B powerhouse Leela James; and Grammy award-winning artist, actor, entrepreneur and philanthropist Q Parker and Friends.
Organizers said the concert is also “a call to action — a gathering rooted in remembrance, resistance, and renewal.”
Proceeds from the event will go to support the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute’s mission to “advance civic engagement, develop youth leadership, and continue the fight for justice in Mississippi and beyond.”
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The post Rita Brent, Q Parker headline 'Medgar at 100' Concert appeared first on mississippitoday.org
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Centrist
This article presents a straightforward, factual report on the upcoming “Medgar at 100” concert honoring civil rights leader Medgar Wiley Evers. The tone is respectful and celebratory, focusing on the event’s cultural and community significance without expressing a political stance or ideological bias. It quotes organizers and highlights performers while emphasizing themes of remembrance, unity, and justice. The coverage remains neutral by reporting the event details and mission of the Medgar & Myrlie Evers Institute without editorializing or promoting a specific political viewpoint. Overall, it maintains balanced and informative reporting.
Residents at Chapel Ridge Apartments in Jackson are left wondering what to do next after months dealing with trash pileups, property theft and the possibility of water shutoffs due to the property owner skipping out on the bill.
On Sunday, Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley, city attorney Drew Martin and code enforcement officers discussed next steps for the complex, which, since April 30, has been without a property manager.
“How are you all cracking down on other possible fraudulent property managers around Jackson?” one woman asked Martin.
“ We don’t know they’re there until we know they’re there, and I know that’s a terrible answer, but I don’t personally have another one I’m aware of right now,” Martin said. “These individuals don’t seem to have owned another apartment complex in the Metro Jackson area, despite owning a whole bunch nationwide.”
Back in April, a letter was left on the door of the leasing office advising residents to not make rental payments until a new property manager arrives. The previous property managers are Lynd Management Group, a company based in San Antonio, Texas.
The complex has been under increased scrutiny after Chapel Ridge Apartments lost its solid waste contract mid-March due to months of nonpayment. The removal of dumpsters led to a portion of the parking lot turning into a dumping site, an influx of rodents and gnats, and an investigation by the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality. Local leaders pitched in to help remedy the situation, and in May, Waste Management provided two dumpsters for the complex.
However, the problems persisted. In May, JXN Water released the names of 15 apartment complexes that owe more than $100,000 in unpaid water fees. Chapel Ridge was on the list. JXN Water spokesperson Aisha Carson said via email that they are “pursuing legal options to address these large-scale delinquencies across several properties.”
“While no shutoffs are imminent at this time, we are evaluating each case based on legal feasibility and the need to balance enforcement with tenant protections. Our focus is on transparency and accountability, not disruption—but we will act when needed to ensure the integrity of the system,” Carson said.
And earlier this week, Chapel Ridge Apartments was declared a public nuisance. Martin said this gives the city of Jackson “the authority to come in, mow the grass and board up any of the units where people aren’t living.”
Martin said the situation is complicated, because the complex is owned by Chapel Ridge Apartments LLC. The limited liability corporation is owned by CRBM Realty Inc. and Crown Capital Holdings LLC, which are ultimately owned by Moshe “Mark” Silber. In April, Silber was sentenced to 30 months in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud affecting a financial institution. Earlier this month, both companies filed for bankruptcy in New Jersey.
Now, Martin said the main goal is to find someone who can manage the property.
“Somebody’s got to be able to collect rent from you,” Martin said. “They got to be able to pay the water. They got to be able to pay the garbage. They got to be able to pay for the lights to be on. They got to maintain the property, so that’s our goal is to put that in place.”
Chapel Ridge offers a rent scale based on household income. Those earning under 50% of the area median income — between $21,800 and $36,150 depending on household size — for example, pay $480 for a two-bedroom and $539 for a three-bedroom unit. Rent increases between $20 and $40 for those earning under 60% of the area median income.
Valarie Banks said that when she moved into Chapel Ridge nearly 13 years ago, it was a great community. The disabled mother and grandmother moved from West Jackson to the complex because it was neatly kept and quiet.
“It was beautiful. I saw a lot of kids out playing. There were people that were engaging you when you came out. They were eager to help,” Banks said. “ I hope that they could bring this place back to the way it once was.”
But after months of uncertainty, Banks is preparing to move. She said she’s not the only one.
“I have somewhere to go, but I’m just trying to get my money together so I can be able to handle the deposits and the bills that come after you move,” she said. “All of my doctors are around here close to me. In 12 years, I made this place home for me. … I’ve been stacking my rent, but it’s still not enough if I want to move this month.”
While she said she’s holding onto her rent payments for the time being, she realizes that many of her fellow residents may not be as lucky. Without someone to maintain the apartments, some residents are finding themselves without basic amenities.
“Some people are in dire straits, because they don’t have a stove or a fridge or the air conditioner,” she said. “Their stove went out, or the fridge went out, or they stole the air conditioner while you’re in the apartment.”
Banks isn’t the only one who is formulating a plan to leave. One woman, who asked to remain anonymous, said she’s been trying to save money to move, but she already has $354 wrapped up in a money order that she’s unable to pass off for her rent, due to the property manager’s recent departure.
“It really feels like an abandonment and just stressful to live where I’m living at right now. This just doesn’t happen. It just feels stressful. It doesn’t feel good at all,” she said.
She’s trying to remain optimistic, but as each day passes without someone to maintain the property, she’s losing hope.
“ I just hope that things get better some day, somehow, hopefully, because if not, more than likely I’m going to have to leave because I can only take so much,” she said. “I can’t continue to deal with this situation of hoping and wishing somebody comes, and they don’t.”
This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
The post Future uncertain for residents of abandoned south Jackson apartment complex appeared first on mississippitoday.org
Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.
Political Bias Rating: Center-Left
This article from *Mississippi Today* primarily focuses on the struggles of low-income residents at Chapel Ridge Apartments, emphasizing the human impact of property mismanagement, regulatory gaps, and systemic neglect. The piece maintains a factual tone, but it centers the voices of vulnerable tenants and local officials seeking accountability—hallmarks of a center-left perspective. While it does not overtly advocate for policy change, the narrative framing highlights social injustice and institutional failures, subtly aligning with progressive concerns about housing equity and corporate responsibility.
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