Statement on Medicaid Expansion House Bill 1725

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi House Speaker Jason White has sponsored legislation that will expand Medicaid in the state. House Bill 1725 will go before the House Medicaid Committee later today. “The SPLC Action Fund has been working to expand Medicaid in Mississippi for over ten years. We are excited that this crucial issue that impacts hundreds of thousands of Mississippians is being addressed by our legislative leaders. Speaker White and Lieutenant Governor Delbert Hosemann deserve credit for bringing this issue forward and we look forward to working with them as the process advances.” said SPLC Mississippi Policy Director, Sonya Williams Barnes. “Our polling has shown that over 61 percent of Mississippians are in support of expanding Medicaid. We also know that many people that are on Medicaid are in working households. For this reason, we hope the legislature will reconsider

ot having a work requirement as this would only serve to make it harder for Mississippians to receive the health care they need.”

Mississippi has one of the most vulnerable health care systems in the country, with the fewest active physicians per capita.

Mississippi also has the highest poverty rate in the United States. Hospital closures in the state are consistent with other states that have chosen not to expand Medicaid, leading to dire health outcomes for communities and financial loss for hospitals.

In 2023, 22,000 more Mississippians were dropped from Medicaid, stripping them of necessary health protections.