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Hosemann wants to shun the term ‘Medicaid expansion.’ Is he appealing to Gunn, Reeves?

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Hosemann wants to shun the term ‘Medicaid expansion.’ Is he appealing to Gunn, Reeves?

Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann believes a plea to Mississippians’ better angels ultimately will lead to Medicaid expansion.

Granted, Hosemann does not utter the phrase “better angels,” but listen closely and it is obvious that he is appealing to them. He also does not want to use the term “Medicaid expansion.” Instead, he would rather discuss everyday scenarios of working Mississippians who suffer, who die because they don’t have access to health insurance.

Hosemann said legislation to provide that health care access will pass “when we start focusing on real life Mississippians… who are really suffering who don’t have to be, who are dying leaving their children motherless. I think we have a sense of values in Mississippi, and I think that will be energized by that discussion.”

Hosemann recently was asked by a reporter about the possibility of expanding Medicaid.

“What is expansion of Medicaid? That is a lazy question,” Hosemann retorted. “What you need to be thinking about is how are we going to cover people who are working in Mississippi who have catastrophic illnesses? That is the real question.”

Hosemann told media members they need to focus on real life consequences instead of “some nomenclature that is three presidents ago.”

Granted, Medicaid expansion was enacted during the first term of former President Barack Obama in 2009. But in fairness to the media, the original Medicaid program was enacted during the 1960s and Social Security was created in the 1930s, yet their names have not changed.

But in fairness to the lieutenant governor, he understands the value of providing health care access and because of the political rhetoric in the state he cannot state the obvious: that the most cost-efficient way to provide health care is by expanding Medicaid as is allowed under the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare.

Under Medicaid expansion, estimates show, between 100,000 to 300,000 primarily working Mississippians, who currently have no insurance, can gain health care with the federal government paying the bulk of the cost. Multiple studies have found that Medicaid expansion will save the state money because of the influx of federal funds.

The two politicians who make it nearly impossible to expand Medicaid in Mississippi are Gov. Tate Reeves and House Speaker Philip Gunn who often, boldly proclaim their opposition to Obamacare.

Perhaps Hosemann, ignoring the political rhetoric and turning focus to helping Mississippians, is also appealing to the better angels of Reeves and Gunn, who often speak of the importance of their Christian faith.

It complicates matters because it is possible — some say likely — that Gunn will square off against Reeves in the 2023 Republican primary for governor, and because of the staunch Mississippi Republicans who will vote in that primary, neither candidate wants to be seen as supporting Obamacare.

Recent polling indicates that Mississippi politicians’ fear of being linked to Obamacare might be exaggerated. A January 2022 poll by AARP found that 68% of Mississippians over the age of 50, including 57% of Republicans polled, favor expanding Medicaid. Other polls, such as those conducted by Chism Research and Millsaps College, have shown similar results.

But polls have not moved Gunn and Reeves.

“I just don’t think that Medicaid expansion is realistic,” Gunn said last week. “Personally, I’m not for it. I’ve been very clear that I’m against it. I don’t see that as a way forward in Mississippi. We need to be looking for ways to get people off Medicaid, not put them on Medicaid. But the bottom line is it’s all an academic discussion until you’ve got the votes (in the supermajority Republican Legislature), and I don’t think the votes exist.”

The cold hard truth that Hosemann knows is that as long as Gunn and Reeves are opposed, the votes won’t exist.

So instead of talking about expanding Medicaid, Hosemann would rather tell the story of a mother of two in Greenwood who worked as a store clerk and was married to a mechanic. Like most people working in similar jobs, she did not have health insurance. Her employer did not provide it, and she could not afford to purchase private coverage.

She developed breast cancer but delayed seeing a doctor because of the lack of insurance.

“By the time she got to the hospital, they could just give her palliative care and she died,” Hosemann said. “And that is happening in Mississippi to working people… Rather than get into some easy question like that (about expanding Medicaid), I think we ought to start focusing on how we provide health care to working Mississippians.

“I think when we do that it takes down a lot of the barriers that may have been built on political discourse.”

Then, Hosemann believes, Mississippians will hear and listen to their better angels.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

Mississippi News

Events happening this weekend in Mississippi: December 20-22

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www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2024-12-20 12:03:00

SUMMARY: This weekend (December 20-22), Mississippi offers a variety of festive events. In Jackson, enjoy Food Truck Friday, candlelight concerts, a Grinch movie screening, and Journey to the North Pole. In Ridgeland, experience Merry Bingo, Christmas on the Green, and Fleet Feet Coffee Run. Vicksburg hosts Rock the Halls, while Natchez offers a European Christmas Shopping Village. Other activities include Santa scuba diving at the Mississippi Museum of Natural Science, Million Dollar Quartet Christmas, and Magic of Lights in Brandon. Hattiesburg features Lights of the Wild and Teddy Bear Tea with Santa. Numerous holiday events are available across the state.

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Mississippi News

Attorneys seek protective order in Jackson bribery case

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www.wjtv.com – Kaitlin Howell – 2024-12-19 14:36:00

SUMMARY: Prosecutors in Jackson are seeking a protective order to prevent the release of sensitive information in a bribery case involving Hinds County District Attorney Jody Owens, Jackson Mayor Chokwe A. Lumumba, and City Councilman Aaron Banks. The motion aims to protect personal, financial, and grand jury information, fearing it could impair investigations and fair trial rights. The three officials face charges related to a bribery scheme involving $80,000 in bribes for approving a real estate development project. Other individuals, including former City Councilwoman Angelique Lee and Sherik Marve Smith, are also implicated, with Smith pleading guilty to conspiracy.

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Suspect in the killing of UnitedHealthcare’s CEO struggles, shouts while entering courthouse

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www.wjtv.com – MICHAEL R. SISAK and MARK SCOLFORO, Associated Press – 2024-12-10 14:27:00

SUMMARY: Luigi Nicholas Mangione, a 26-year-old Ivy League graduate, was arrested in Pennsylvania and charged with the murder of Brian Thompson, CEO of UnitedHealthcare. Mangione, who expressed disdain for corporate greed and the health insurance industry, was found with a gun matching the murder weapon and fraudulent IDs. He initially gave false identification but was recognized at a McDonald’s. Mangione, who wrote a three-page document expressing anti-corporate sentiments, is being extradited to New York. His family, shocked by his arrest, expressed condolences to Thompson’s family. Mangione had no prior criminal complaints but had a history of severe back pain.

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