ECONOMIC IMPACT OF EXPANDED HEALTHINSURANCE COVERAGE FOR MISSISSIPPIANSBELOW 138% OF THE FPL

Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), states
have been granted the option of expanding Medicaid
eligibility to individuals with income below 138% of the
federal poverty level (FPL). Thirty-eight states and the District
of Columbia have expanded Medicaid coverage for their
citizens; Mississippi is one of 12 states that has not pursued
that option.
The Center for Mississippi Health Policy (Center) is a non-partisan,
nonprofit research group with the purpose of providing research
and data to inform the planning, decision-making, and operations
of health policy in Mississippi. Since the option for states to
expand Medicaid eligibility presented itself in 2014, a major
question for Mississippi state legislators and health professionals
has been the total cost of expansion to the state. While the state
faces many obstacles in producing better health outcomes and a
healthier population through improved population health literacy,
provider availability, healthier cultures, etc., the purpose of this
publication is to address Medicaid expansion’s financial and
economic impacts to the state.
The Center commissioned The Hilltop Institute at the University
of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC), an independent, nonpartisan
research group, to conduct a study limited to estimating
and projecting the financial and economic effects of Mississippi
expanding its Medicaid program by 2023 to provide health
insurance to individuals with incomes up to 138% of the FPL.
Below, we present a few of those findings with complete Hilltop
reports available.
To view the reports, click here: mshealthpolicy...