Issues: Health Care Reform

Mississippi is a state that has had a long, sad history with health outcomes. The confluence of historical racial and economic baggage, indifferent and sometimes hostile leadership, and long-standing, suffocating poverty has created a seemingly untenable environment for change. At this writing, Mississippi has 17.9% of its citizens uninsured, 40% in poverty according to the federal poverty level guidelines, and 22.1% of its citizens on Medicaid. These are the results of years of neglect on the issue of health care coverage.

Health Care Reform

President Obama and Congress have laid out some basic principles they think are necessary for substantive health care reform.  A few of these include, reducing long-term growth of health care costs for businesses and government, protecting families from bankruptcy or debt because of health care costs, guaranteeing choice of doctors and health plans, investing in prevention and wellness, maintaining coverage when there is a change or loss of job, and ending barriers to coverage for people with pre-existing medical conditions.

While there is much back and forth between parties on how to best achieve these objectives, the goal should remain access to affordable and quality for all Americans. Unfortunately there are thousands Mississippians who find the doors to quality healthcare closed and do not have the security against the economic effects of sickness. The moment has come to open these doors and provide protection to all Mississippians and the millions of uninsured across the nation. 

Mississippi Health Reform Project

MHAP’s long-term goal for this project is to build, mobilize and sustain a diverse statewide coalition of Mississippians committed to expanding health insurance coverage for all uninsured citizens of this State. We also want to begin a substantive dialogue around coverage expansion in this State.

Get Involved

Learn more about and get involved in the Mississippi Health Reform Project by visiting the MHAP Action Center.