The Mississippi Health Advocacy Program (MHAP) works to improve health access, affordability, and equity for Mississippians through policy advocacy, community engagement, storytelling, and consumer assistance. Our work connects lived experiences to systems change, while also supporting individuals and families navigating coverage in real time.
Medicaid Expansion
Mississippi Health Advocacy Program is a leading voice for Medicaid expansions in Mississippi. Thousands of working Mississippians remain uninsured due to the coverage gap, earning too much to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to afford private insurance.
Our Medicaid expansion work focuses on public education, research, and advocacy. MHAP produces and shares policy analyses and messaging tools that explain how expansions would benefit individuals, families, healthcare providers, and the state economy. We also elevate the voices of Mississippians directly impacts by lack of coverage, ensuring expansion is discuss not only as a policy issue, but as a real life health and economic concern. Please see the following links for more information:
Maternal and Child Health Advocacy
Mississippi Health Advocacy Program prioritizes maternal and child health by advocating for policies that support families before, during, and after pregnancy, and by helping ensure those policies are implemented in ways that reach people who need them most.
In recent years, this work has included advancing and supporting the implementation of major maternal health protections, such as 12-month postpartum Medicaid coverage and presumptive eligibility for pregnant women. MHAP continues to educate communities, providers, and policymakers about htese protections, identify barriers to access, and elevate the experiences of mothers navigating care in Mississippi. Through outreach, storytelling, and partnerships with maternal health organizations and advocates, MHAP works to reduce gaps in care and improve outcomes for both parents and children.
Story Collection
Storytelling is central to the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program’s advocacy. We collect and amplify stories from Mississippians across the state to humanize healthcare policy and center lived experience in decision-making. MHAP gathers stories through community events, surveys, interviews, and multimedia projects. These stories highlight challenges related to Medicaid Access, maternal health, coverage gaps, and navigating complex healthcare systems. Collected stories are used in advocacy campaigns, educational materials, media engagements, and legislative outreach, helping policymakers and the public understand how health policy decisions affect real people.
“Real Moms. Real Stories.” – A Maternal Health Story Book
Community Events and Engagement
The Mississippi Health Advocacy Program believes meaningful change starts in community. We partner with organizations, pharmacies, clinics, and advocates across Mississippi to host and participate in community events such as:
- Community Health Expos
- Community Baby Showers
- Advocacy Trainings
- Resource Fairs
These events connect residents to health information, screening, and coverage assistance, while also creating space for listening and story collection. Community engagement allows MHAP to stay grounded in real needs, strengthen relationships with local partners and community members, and ensure advocacy efforts reflect the experience of Mississippians statewide.
Medicaid Consumer Assistance
MHAP is recognized nationwide as the Mississippi catalyst and convener for bringing people together to serve health consumers efficiently and effectively. MHAP does this by engaging and working with local community – based organizations to provide them with timely, useful resrouces on Medicaid enrollment and post-enrollment issues. While MHAP is most widely recognized for its public health policy work, we have responded to the needs of Mississippians by providing Medicaid consumer health insurance assistance. Our Health Help Mississippi program direct enrollment assitance to consumers that are experiencing issues with both private and public insurance. Visit http://www.healthhelpms.org for more information on Health Help’s services.
Community Resources
In March 2020, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) temporarily waived certain Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) requirements and conditions.The easing of these rules helped prevent people with Medicaid and CHIP—in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the five U.S. territories—from losing their health coverage during the pandemic. However, states will soon be required to restart Medicaid and CHIP eligibility reviews. According to some estimates, when states resume these reviews, up to 15 million people could lose their current Medicaid or CHIP coverage through a process called “unwinding.”