The Mississippi Senate recently passed legislation that lawmakers believe could serve as a solution to the state’s ongoing healthcare crisis. However, one expert is arguing that it might not be enough.
Dr. Mark Horne, former president of the Mississippi State Medical Association, explained during an appearance on MidDays with Gerard Gibert that the current legislative package merely provides part of a short-term solution and fails to provide a viable long-term plan.
The bills proposed by lawmakers include the creation of two grant programs, one that would provide $80 million in lifeline money to hospitals and the other that would help community colleges build out their nursing programs. Also included in the plan is the opportunity for nurses to have their schooling paid for if they agree to work in-state, as well as the removal of several antitrust restrictions from hospitals.
“This can has been kicked down the road as far as it can be. If something more is not done this legislative session, we will lose some things that we will not get back,” Horne said. “Some of that will be some lives. I can’t tell you how many, but there will be lack of access to care in parts of the state and people will suffer.”
As of date, 28 hospitals across Mississippi are in danger of closing, with many in the field in favor of full Medicaid expansion – something most Republican lawmakers avidly oppose.
“I’m a fiscal conservative, and I understand the arguments against [expanding Medicaid]. But the challenge is that it’s here to stay. It’s not going anywhere,” Horne continued. “Over a billion dollars a year has been passed on by the state of Mississippi, and that’s money that we can use.”
While Horne said that Medicaid expansion is not a golden ticket for the state’s struggling hospitals, he does believe it’s assistance that the state is missing out on.
Mississippi is one of just 12 states that has refused Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. The full interview with Horne can be watched below.
