States Push to Extend Postpartum Medicaid Benefits to Save Lives

More states are moving to extend Medicaid benefits to new mothers up to a full year after giving birth, far beyond the 60 days required by federal law. That development, promoted by numerous medical groups as well as official state medical boards that focus on maternal health, reflects increasing alarm over the United States’ maternal mortality rate, which is the worst among developed nations and is trending in the wrong direction. PEW Trusts, Read More.

They took welfare money to turn ugly produce into meals, but fed no one

Nonprofit founder Nancy New handed restaurateur Jeff Good a check for $200,000 and then ghosted.The idea was for their organizations to partner to create a food recovery and reclamation center. They would take food that groceries and restaurants didn’t want — what people picture as a bruised apple or an ugly carrot — and turn it into ready-to-eat meals for the hungry. In late 2018 when they conceived the concept, one of Good’s businesses Soul City Hospitality was already leasing and investing in an empty, 16,000-square foot warehouse with that kind of project in mind.And New, who held a multi-million dollar state contract to spend federal welfare dollars with virtually no accountability, had the cash.Mississippi Today, Read More.
How leading physicians want to improve healthcare access in Mississippi

Mississippi is one of 12 states that have not expanded Medicaid, and leaders with the Mississippi State Medical Association have created a plan to work towards expanding healthcare in the state. The plan addresses a variety of items and would be similar to that of neighboring states Arkansas and Louisiana which have both expanded healthcare access through Section 1115 Medicaid demonstration waivers. These waivers allow states flexibility in how Medicaid programs are created.MPB, Read More.