Medicaid expansion in Miss. closes the health insurance gap
Nearly 20% of
Healing the entire community means we must collectively address pressing issues like the health insurance coverage gap. Since 2014, states have had the option to expand Medicaid eligibility to include adults with incomes under 138% of the federal poverty level, which would close the health-insurance coverage gap -meaning that a family of four making less than
Unfortunately,
In 2019, the state had the fifthhighest uninsured rate in the country,
Uninsured people are far more likely than those with insurance to postpone health care or forgo it altogether. The consequences can be severe, particularly when preventable conditions or chronic diseases go undetected.
Closing the health insurance coverage gap is one of the policy measures shown to be effective in reducing health disparities. Increasing access to Medicaid for
Studies also found that among those with chronic disease, Medicaid expansion contributed to increased insurance coverage and improvements in payer mix, improved access to care, and better health outcomes including disease management and mortality. To date, 38 states and the
Expanding access to health insurance also reduces hospitals' uncompensated care and lessens the financial burden of health care for working families. Cutting uncompensated care costs helps patients, hospitals and state budgets. These costs lead to medical debt, which hospitals may seek to collect even from very low-income patients; become part of patients' credit history, reducing their access to loans; and sometimes cause people to declare bankruptcy.
These costs burden hospitals, making it harder for them to invest in new technologies or equipment, maintain needed capacity to serve patients or even remain open.
Finally, uncompensated care costs burden state budgets because many states cover part of these costs. Medicaid expansion dramatically reduces this burden for hospitals.
Expanding Medicaid can also be a form of economic stimulus. The infusion of federal spending would give a boost to the state's economy. A study by the
Closing the health insurance gap through Medicaid expansion improves health outcomes by increasing access and use of health-care services. It also results in increased provider revenues and reduced uncompensated care while stimulating economic growth.
Without Medicaid expansion, the health, wealth and economic sustainability of
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