Mississippi Today

The long history of white, Southern politicians rejecting health care expansion

Published

2 years ago

November 21, 2022

The long history of white, Southern politicians rejecting health care expansion

by Bobby Harrison, Mississippi Today
November 20, 2022

Southern politicians have a long history of opposing efforts to provide government-sponsored health care for their constituents.

In 1947, President Harry Truman proposed legislation that essentially would provide universal health care paid through fees and taxes. Remember, health care options for working people in those days were even more dire than now with fewer people having employer-based health insurance.

Truman’s proposal was killed in part by Southern Democrats in the U.S. House and Senate. Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman wrote in his book, “The Conscience of a Liberal,” that Southern politicians opposed the plan of the Democratic president because they feared that it would lead to a government mandate to integrate hospitals.

“Keeping Black people out of white hospitals was more important to Southern politicians than providing poor whites with the means to get medical treatment,” Krugman wrote.

Southern politicians, as it turns out, are still not crazy about government-sponsored health insurance.

A quick glance at a map of the states that have and have not expanded Medicaid is startling. Of the 11 states that have not expanded Medicaid, eight (if Texas is included) are Southern states.

The map of the non-expansion states, a matter of fact, looks a lot like the footprint of the collegiate Southeastern Conference sports league with the exception of Louisiana, Arkansas, Kentucky and Missouri. Those four states have expanded Medicaid. Granted, most would say that Missouri is not a Southern state, but it is in the SEC.

At any rate, it is the SEC states, led by Southern politicians, now Republican Southern politicians, who are again resisting efforts to expand government-sponsored health care to help their poor constituents.

No longer, of course, are hospitals segregated. They were integrated in the 1960s, according to Krugman, when another government-sponsored program was enacted: Medicare, which provides health care to the elderly.

While it has been established by various studies that the largest percentage of people who would benefit from Medicaid expansion are people of color, it is important to point out that there are many white citizens who also would benefit.

Medicaid expansion, as is allowed as part of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, provides health insurance for primarily the working poor — for people earning up to 138% of the federal poverty level, or $18,754 per year for an individual. In Mississippi, the traditional Medicaid program covers, generally speaking, poor pregnant women, poor children, certain groups of poor retirees and the disabled, but not the working poor.

The federal government pays the bulk of the health care costs for those on Medicaid expansion. When Southern politicians express their opposition to Medicaid expansion, they often simply proclaim they “are against Obamacare” as if that is enough reason to oppose it.

“I am opposed to Obamacare expansion in Mississippi. I am opposed to Obamacare expansion in Mississippi. I am opposed to Obamacare expansion in Mississippi. I don’t know how many ways I can explain this to y’all,” Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said in response to reporters’ questions.

When the nation’s only Black president — Barack Obama — passed through Congress in 2010 the Affordable Care Act, almost all Republicans were opposed to “Obamacare.” But now solid Republican states like Montana, North Dakota, Utah and Idaho have embraced Medicaid expansion. In Republican-controlled South Dakota, voters just approved a ballot initiative to adopt Medicaid expansion. For the most part, it is just Southern politicians eschewing Medicaid expansion.

John Bell Williams also was against expanding health care when he served in the U.S. House representing Mississippi. As a congressman, he voted against Democratic President Lyndon Johnson’s plan to enact a Medicaid program for a small population of the underprivileged.

But as governor, Williams later called a special session in 1969 and urged the Legislature to opt into the Medicaid program.

In a speech to the Legislature, Williams said, “Let us not delude ourselves into the false notion that we can — or will — evade the burden of caring for these unfortunate people. Our society, through the instrument of government, has always shouldered this responsibility, and I am sure it always will.”

Williams went on to say the state could not afford to turn down a federal health care program that would require the state to provide only 20% of the matching funds. He spoke of the economic impact it would have on the state.

“The simple fact is that someone pays for health services, and we must decide, who will do it and how,” he explained.

The special session lasted from July 22 to Oct. 11. In the end, the Mississippi Legislature opted into the program, proving that Southern politicians did not always oppose improving health care for their poor constituents.

Whether that will happen with Medicaid expansion remains to be seen.

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

Up Next

Mississippi moms and babies suffer disproportionately. Medicaid expansion could help.

Don't Miss

Senate Public Health hearing to delve into crisis facing hospital, health care as whole

Mississippi Today

On this day in 1947, Jackie Robinson broke MLB color barrier

Published

2 days ago

April 15, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-15 07:00:00

by Jerry Mitchell, Mississippi Today
April 15, 2025

April 15, 1947

Jackie Robinson became the first Black baseball player in the Major Leagues when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Jackie Robinson broke through the color barrier in Major League Baseball, becoming the first Black player in the 20^th century.

Born in Cairo, Georgia, Robinson lettered in four sports at UCLA – football, basketball, baseball and track. After time in the military, he played for the Kansas City Monarchs in the Negro Leagues. After his success there, Dodgers general manager Branch Rickey signed Robinson, and the legendary baseball player started for Montreal, where he integrated the International League.

In addition to his Hall of Fame career, he was active in the civil rights movement and became the first Black TV analyst in Major League Baseball and the first Black vice president of a major American corporation.

In recognition of his achievements, Robinson was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Major League Baseball retired his number “42,” which became the title of the movie about his breakthrough.

Ken Burns’ four-hour documentary reveals that Robinson did more than just break the color barrier — he became a leader for equal rights for all Americans.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Mississippi Today

Mississippians highlight Black Maternal Health Week

Published

2 days ago

April 14, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-14 14:04:00

by Sophia Paffenroth, Mississippi Today
April 14, 2025

Advocates and health care leaders joined lawmakers Monday morning at the Capitol to recognize Black Maternal Health Week, which started Friday.

The group was highlighting the racial disparities that persist in the delivery room, with Black women three times more likely to die of a pregnancy-related cause than white women.

“The bond between a mother and her baby is worth protecting,” said Cassandra Welchlin, executive director of the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable.

Rep. Timaka James-Jones, D-Belzoni, spoke about her niece Harmony, who suffered from preeclampsia and died on the side of the road in 2021 along with her unborn baby, three miles from the closest hospital in Yazoo City.

“It’s utterly important that stories are shared – but realize these are not just stories. This is real life,” she said.

The tragedy inspired James-Jones to become a lawmaker. She says she is working on gaining support to appropriate the funds needed to build a standalone emergency room in Belzoni.

But it isn’t just emergency medical care that’s lacking for some mothers. Mental health conditions are a leading cause of pregnancy-related deaths, defined as deaths up to one year postpartum from associated causes.

And more than 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are deemed preventable – making the issue ripe for policy change, advocates said.

State Rep. Zakiya Summers, D-Jackson, speaks during a press conference recognizing Black Maternal Health Week at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Monday, April 14, 2025.
State Rep. Zakiya Summers, D-Jackson, speaks during a press conference recognizing Black Maternal Health Week at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Monday, April 14, 2025. Summers joined community advocates, healthcare leaders and organizations to call attention to the state’s Black maternal health crisis and urge legislative action to improve outcomes.
Cassandra Welchlin, executive director of the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, speaks during a press conference for Black Maternal Health Week at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Monday, April 14, 2025.
Advocates stand behind speakers during a press conference at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Monday, April 14, 2025. The event, which recognized Black Maternal Health Week, brought together healthcare leaders, community organizations, and lawmakers to raise awareness about Mississippi’s Black maternal health crisis and demand equitable policy solutions.
Lauren Jones, founder of Mom.ME, speaks during a press conference for Black Maternal Health Week at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Monday, April 14, 2025.
Nakeitra L. Burse, CEO of Six Dimensions, speaks during a press conference for Black Maternal Health Week at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Monday, April 14, 2025.
Robin Jackson, director of policy advocacy at the Mississippi Black Women’s Roundtable, speaks during a press conference for Black Maternal Health Week at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Monday, April 14, 2025.
State Rep. Timaka James-Jones shares the story of her late niece, Harmony Ball-Stribling, during a press conference for Black Maternal Health Week at the Mississippi Capitol in Jackson, Miss., on Monday, April 14, 2025.

“About 20 years ago, I was almost a statistic,” said Lauren Jones, a mother who founded Mom.Me, a nonprofit seeking to normalize the struggles of motherhood through community support. “I contemplated taking my life, I severely suffered from postpartum depression … None of my physicians told me that the head is connected to the body while pregnant.”

With studies showing “mounting disparities” in women’s health across the United States – and Mississippi scoring among the worst overall – more action is needed to halt and reverse the inequities, those at the press conference said.

The Mississippi Legislature passed four bills related to maternal health between 2018 and 2023, according to a study by researchers at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.

“How many times are we going to have to come before committees like this to share the statistics before the statistics become a solution?” Jones asked.

A bill that would require health care providers to offer postpartum depression screenings to mothers is pending approval from the governor.

Rep. Zakiya Summers, D-Jackson, the organizer of the press conference, commended the Legislature for passing presumptive eligibility for pregnant women this year. The policy will allow women to receive health care covered by Medicaid as soon as they find out they are pregnant – even if their Medicaid application is still pending. It was spearheaded by Rep. Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg.

Summers also thanked Rep. Kevin Felsher, R-Biloxi, for pushing paid parental leave for state employees through the finish line this year.

Speakers emphasized the importance of focusing Black Maternal Health Week not just on mitigating deaths but on celebrating one of life’s most vulnerable and meaningful events.

“Black Maternal Health Week is a celebration of life, since Black women don’t often get those opportunities to celebrate,” said Nakeitra Burse, executive director of Six Dimensions, a minority women-owned public health research agency. “We go into our labor and delivery and pregnancy with fear – of the unknown, fear of how we’ll be taken care of, and just overall uncertainty about the outcomes.”

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.

Mississippi Today

Trump to appoint two Northern District MS judges after Aycock takes senior status

Published

3 days ago

April 14, 2025

Staff Editor

mississippitoday.org – @MSTODAYnews – 2025-04-14 11:01:00

by Taylor Vance, Mississippi Today
April 14, 2025

Judge Sharion Aycock

President Donald Trump can now appoint two new judges to the federal bench in the Northern District of Mississippi.

U.S. District Judge Sharion Aycock announced recently that she was taking senior status effective April 15. This means she will still hear cases as a judge but will have a reduced caseload.

“I have been so fortunate during my entire legal career,” Aycock said in a statement. “As one of only a few women graduating in my law school class, I had the chance to break ground for the female practitioner.”

A native of Itawamba County, Aycock graduated from Tremont High School and Mississippi State University. She received her law degree from Mississippi College, where she graduated second in her class.

Throughout her legal career, she blazed many trails for women practicing law and female jurists. She began her career as a judge when she was elected as a Mississippi Circuit Court judge in northeast Mississippi in 2002, the first woman ever elected to that judicial district.

She held that position until President George W. Bush in 2007 appointed her to the federal bench. After the U.S. Senate unanimously confirmed her, she became the first woman confirmed to the federal judiciary in Mississippi.

This makes Aycock the second judge to take senior status in four years. U.S. District Judge Michael Mills announced in 2021 that he was taking senior status, but the U.S. Senate still has not confirmed someone to replace him.

President Joe Biden appointed state prosecutor Scott Colom to fill Mills’ vacancy in 2023. U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker approved Colom’s appointment, but U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith blocked his confirmation through a practice known as “blue slips,” where senators can block the confirmation of judicial appointees in their home state.

This means President Trump will now have the opportunity to appoint two federal judges to lifetime appointments to the Northern District. U.S. District Judge Debra Brown will soon be the only active federal judge serving in the district. Aycock, Mills, and U.S. District Judge Glen Davidson will all be senior-status judges.

Federal district judges provide crucial work to the federal courts through presiding over major criminal and civil trials and applying rulings from the U.S. Supreme Court and the U.S. Court of Appeals in the local districts.

This article first appeared on Mississippi Today and is republished here under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.