Advocacy

Access to Healthcare

About 522,244 Mississippians are without health insurance. 85,000 of those citizens includes Mississippi children. However, not all of these people need worry about their health. The Affordable Care Act, signed into law on March 23, 2010, allows for 348,341 new recipients of Medicaid in Mississippi. 153,000 Mississippians will also be eligible for subsidies, which will assist families in keeping their health care costs low. However, administrative barriers make it difficult for eligible citizens to actually enroll. In addition to advocating for the removal of these barriers, the Mississippi Center for Justice distributes brochures statewide to provide public education about the benefits and enrollment requirements of this insurance.

See the information on right hand side of this page for brochures specific to various regions of the state. You can also access information about national health care reform and what it means to you here. Families USA has several resources to help you understand how health care reform will help states.

Insuring a Healthy Future for Kids

In Mississippi, eligible children can receive free or low-cost health insurance that provides preventive care to keep them healthy and help them grow up strong. While there are a wide array of opinions about healthcare reform and its impact, it is indisputable that Mississippi’s children, especially low-income children and those with special healthcare needs, are better off today because of the Affordable Care Act. Included in the health reform law is a long list of new child-focused policies that are already improving the lives of children across America.

Below you’ll find policy papers and fact sheets that provide more information about the status of children across Mississippi and throughout the nation. We encourage all Mississippians to follow up with elected officials and encourage them to make children a priority in the federal budget this year.

Click here for an overview of the Children's Provision in National HealthCare Reform from Community Catalyst including Medicaid and CHIP (Children's Health Insurance Plan) eligibility information. Find more CHIP eligibility info here as well as an application for the program.

Health Insurance Exchanges

Health Insurance Exchanges are designed to help consumers and businesses pair the best, most affordable plan with their needs. Starting in 2014 these exchanges will allow those groups to compare plans, pool risk and find the most competitive plan for their dollar. The exchanges also provide alternatives to private insurance through access to eligibility tools for programs like CHIP and subsidies for use toward insurance premiums.

Want information on what this means for Mississippi? This brief from the Center for Mississippi Health Policy shows how Mississippi will benefit from Health Insurance Exchanges through graphs, flowcharts and more.