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A standing room solely crowd listened as legislators mentioned priorities for this 2023 session of the Mississippi legislature. (Jan Griffey | The Natchez Democrat)

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From left are State Rep. Scott Mims, R-McComb, State Sen. Melanie Sojourner, R-Natchez, State Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, and State Sen. Kelvin Butler, D-Magnolia. (Jan Griffey | The Natchez Democrat)

State Rep. Robert Johnson III discusses the explanations Mississippi ought to increase Medicaid. (Jan Griffey | The Natchez Democrat)

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NATCHEZ — A standing-room-only crowd greeted Natchez’s representatives within the state Home and Senate on the Natchez-Adams County Chamber of Commerce’s annual Legislative Breakfast Monday morning.

State Sen. Melanie Sojourner, R-Natchez, State Rep. Sam Mims, R-McComb, State Rep. Robert Johnson III, D-Natchez and State Sen. Kelvin Butler, D-Magnolia, every spoke about what they see as priorities for the legislature, which is about three weeks into its 90-day session in January.

Natchez Mayor Dan Gibson welcomed the legislators, as did Adams County Board of Supervisors President Warren Gaines.

Gibson and Gaines laid out an inventory of initiatives essential to Natchez to which the town would look to the legislators for help, like drainage points, continued enhancements to rail and air service within the county and the creation of a liquid loading dock on the Natchez-Adams County Port.

Gibson urged the legislators to proceed help of film tax credit, which he mentioned have been answerable for creating quite a few jobs and tax {dollars} into the Natchez and Adams County financial system.

Gibson additionally urged legislators to throw their help towards increasing Medicaid in Mississippi, which he mentioned has been “confirmed to work in so many states. Let’s have a look at the states the place Medicaid enlargement has been profitable and comply with their instance.”

Gaines additionally urged continued help from legislators for the Natchez-Adams County Airport and Port, and highlighted work the county is doing to assist these with psychological well being points, crime prevention by way of set up of Undertaking NOLA cameras and work with Natchez Inc. to engaging new business to the county.

The right way to finest resolve the well being care disaster amongst Mississippi hospitals was the most popular subject of the day. It was clear from feedback from every legislator that deep division exists between the 2 events, notably the place well being care is worried.

State Sen. Kelvin Butler

State Sen. Kelvin Butler urged metropolis and county officers to proceed to work collectively, which he mentioned is paying dividends for the world.

“Give the Metropolis of Natchez and the county one other spherical of applause,” he mentioned. “I represents 5 counties, so I take care of 5 boards of supervisors. I see a variety of issues on this space that I don’t see in a variety of my different counties, and that’s an excellent factor. Proceed to work collectively as a result of that’s what it’s going to take to get to the subsequent degree.”

Butler listed as his priorities for the 2023 legislative session fixing the state’s well being care situation, acquiring extra money for cities, cities and counties to take care of infrastructure points, growing the state’s minimal wage and discovering extra money to pay lecturers and supply higher instructional alternatives for college kids.

“This 12 months, the Democratic Caucus is pushing once more to increase Medicaid below the Reasonably priced Care Act so our uninsured residents can have a way to get the medical care they should preserve their well being and to take care of crucial well being circumstances that usually require excessive greenback drugs that they often battle to afford,” Butler mentioned. “Our rural well being care disaster has seen hospitals shutting down, fewer medical doctors working in rural areas and hospital emergency rooms seeing elevated site visitors from sufferers who come as a final resort.

“In lots of situations sufferers may keep away from an emergency room go to if that they had the each day remedy they should management their downside, however many individuals can not afford the medication. When confronted with the selection of paying their gentle or fuel invoice and shopping for $90 bottles of remedy as a result of they don’t have the insurance coverage to drop that to $5, they don’t purchase the medication,” Butler mentioned. “I’ve been informed that it’s going to price $200 million to increase Medicaid in our state. Most of you might be enterprise folks proper? Whenever you make investments $200 million and get a $1 billion return, to me that’s a no brainer, particularly with all the cash the state of Mississippi is sitting on, that’s a no brainer…That’s financial improvement for all the state.”

State Sen. Melanie Sojourner

State Sen. Melanie Sojourner mentioned she agrees Mississippi has a healthcare disaster, however Medicaid enlargement isn’t the reply.

“Healthcare ought to take up the majority of our session. There isn’t any doubt hospitals are in disaster. There isn’t any doubt there are areas of the state the place it’s worse than others. There may be additionally little question there’s a huge divide between Democrats and Republicans as to how we deal with this downside,” Sojourner mentioned.

Training and Medicaid at present take up three-quarters of the state’s finances.

“One factor I need to say is we function on roughly a $6.5 billion finances and proper off the highest, half of that finances goes towards training. One other billion {dollars} goes to Medicaid. You see, we’re already at three-fourths of our finances, and rural roads and bridges are an enormous situation,” she mentioned. “Final 12 months, there was a motive why I requested to maneuver the lottery cash from additional training funding to roads and bridges due to that disaster.”

Sojourner mentioned she expects little will occur aside from a Band-Help to repair the healthcare disaster this 12 months.

“It’s an election 12 months and lots of people are already speculating on the capitol on what are we going to do on a few of these points as a result of look, fixing healthcare isn’t straightforward. It’s been 12 years since I first went to Jackson and 12 years now we have been speaking about this situation and never one time have I sat in a room and thought there have been reliable options delivered to the desk, not even from the healthcare business, as to tips on how to deal with this situation as a result of these aren’t straightforward points,” she mentioned.

Medicaid is a damaged and flawed system, Sojourner mentioned, and research have proven that enlargement of Medicaid doesn’t present higher well being outcomes and strikes residents from personal insurance coverage to Medicaid.

“Well being care is damaged and hospitals need assistance. That’s true, however I don’t suppose accepting extra federal {dollars} coming down from a federal authorities that’s $32 trillion in debt is the one answer,” she mentioned. “I don’t count on this situation to get fastened this 12 months as a result of your politicians in Jackson are too busy worrying about operating for re-election to repair this downside.”

Sojourner, who won’t be able to run once more as a result of her district was misplaced throughout re-districting after the 2020 census, mentioned she won’t search one other workplace this 12 months and wouldn’t run towards Mims for the State Home.

“This would be the final time I be part of you on this place at this breakfast. It’s been 12 years in the past once I first got here and requested you to your vote and was elected your state senator. It has been an absolute honor to serve,” she mentioned.

State Rep. Sam Mims

Mims mentioned the excellent news is Mississippi’s financial system is doing effectively and the perfect it has ever been.

“I do need to speak some excellent news. I feel for those who have a look at our legislative session final 12 months, it was extremely productive with lowering the revenue tax, spending the ARPA cash, serving to with rural water and your wastewater remedy crops,” Mims mentioned.

“When you have a look at our financial system in the present day in Mississippi, we’re doing very effectively. Our revenue tax receipts are up. Our capital receipts are up. Our individuals are working extra and making extra money. Our financial system within the state of Mississippi is doing very, very effectively. Our unemployment charge is on the all-time lowest it has ever been in historical past. Our wet day account is about $570 million. We’ve $1.5 billion additional we will spend and along with that, we nonetheless should spend about $300 million of our ARPA cash throughout this session,” Mims mentioned.

Whereas Mims praised the Mississippi financial system, he criticized politicians in Washington, D.C.

“In my years serving within the legislature, I’ve by no means seen extra of a disconnect between what’s occurring right here in Mississippi and what’s occurring in D.C.,” he mentioned. “Whereas we’re getting issues accomplished within the Mississippi Home, you have a look at D.C., it’s only a disconnect.

“I feel it’s essential we perceive what’s occurring in D.C. with inflation, with rates of interest growing and now we have to bear in mind if one thing occurs down the street in D.C., we’re going to be financially steady right here in Mississippi as a result of now we have made some good insurance policies with our financial system. We’re in the perfect monetary form now we have been in in years,” Mims mentioned.

For the twelfth 12 months, Mims serves as chairman of the state senate’s public well being committee.

“I do consider in entry to healthcare and now we have handed many compacts to make it simpler to get as many nurses and physicians as we will. We do want to take a look at healthcare and I do envision within the subsequent few weeks we’re going to discover some concepts to assist hospitals and nursing properties.”

State Rep. Robert Johnson III

“I’ll say it’s somewhat bit disingenuous to speak in regards to the disconnect within the state of Mississippi and the way effectively we’re doing and what’s occurring in Washington and likewise discuss now we have a $3 billion surplus within the state and point out ARPA 4 or 5 occasions when that has come from Washington and the explanation now we have a surplus is as a result of now we have had billions of {dollars} in CARES cash and ARPA cash when the one individuals who voted to go that had been Democrats,” in Congress, Johnson mentioned.

“Each Republican legislator now we have in Washington has mentioned no the cash we are actually championing as the explanation we’re doing so effectively. So, it’s somewhat bit disingenuous to say we’re doing effectively,” Johnson mentioned.

He mentioned Mississippi is giving again $500 million in tax {dollars} to residents, “that places $300 or $400 a 12 months in Mississippians’ pockets when people are spending on common $800 every for automobile repairs” due to the poor situation of Mississippi’s roads and bridges.

“However they’re saying they’re supplying you with an revenue tax minimize in a state that also has the best charge of poverty, the bottom per capita revenue and extra youngsters in poverty than any state per capita within the nation. That doesn’t make any sense,” Johnson mentioned.

“That’s not an financial system that’s doing effectively. That’s not a authorities that’s doing its job. And now we have to cease deluding ourselves to suppose this comes right down to Democrat or Republican. What it comes right down to is what do you need to do as a authorities in Mississippi to serve Mississippians,” he requested.

“You need to discuss Medicaid enlargement costing a lot? We’re solely one in every of 11 states that mentioned no to cash that can be sure that working Mississippians can have well being protection. Let me offer you somewhat background,” Johnson mentioned.

The Hill-Burton Act, initially handed after World Conflict II and additional modified in 1968, was designed for rural and poor states like Mississippi to construct hospitals.

“They understood in rural areas, the inhabitants density didn’t justify having a hospital, however the federal authorities mentioned we would like you to have a hospital as a result of it’s essential for the expansion and survival of your neighborhood,” Johnson mentioned, “so the Hill-Burton Act funded public hospitals.”

In an effort to reform healthcare and make it work higher, he mentioned, “for those who go to a hospital on this state, they should see you. Once they see you in a hospital, these hospitals have to soak up these prices. Earlier than the Reasonably priced Care Act, hospitals may very well be reimbursed for individuals who obtained uncompensated care. Once they handed the Reasonably priced Care Act, they mentioned we aren’t doing uncompensated care on the similar degree now we have been doing it, however you continue to should see these individuals who don’t have insurance coverage.

“You will have working folks in a rural state like Mississippi. We don’t have a variety of high-paying manufacturing facility jobs, however we do have a variety of carpenters and plumbers and small enterprise individuals who make sufficient cash to deal with their households, however they could not make sufficient cash to purchase medical health insurance protection. Additionally they don’t qualify for Medicaid and Medicare. Once they go to a hospital, the hospital has to see them, however the hospital isn’t reimbursed like they as soon as had been.”

He mentioned the federal authorities is now providing Mississippi $1 billion per 12 months to increase Medicaid as a result of Mississippi has 170,000 working individuals who don’t have any insurance coverage.

“It is going to save the state cash. Final 12 months, we had two state economists, who had been in all probability Republicans, who mentioned sure, Medicaid enlargement is an effective factor. It’s going to make the state cash,” Johnson mentioned. “However we will’t get folks to take a seat down and discuss one thing that’s going to assist Mississippians. You’ll inform me it’s OK for a lady who’s having a child that she should drive 50 miles to go to a hospital as a result of we let her hospital fail,” he requested. “That’s one factor we owe as a authorities is to offer well being care to people who find themselves working each day.”