Mississippi

Mississippi Medicaid Expansion: Don’t Lose a Friend Over This

Published

2 years ago

February 29, 2024

Mississippi Medicaid Expansion: Don’t Lose a Friend Over This

Pepper Crutcher discusses the complexities of Medicaid expansion.

“From thirty feet away she looked like a lot of class. From ten feet away she looked like something made up to be seen from thirty feet away.” – Raymond Chandler, The High Window

That’s typically true of legislation that seeks to solve complex problems. How you see the House-passed Medicaid Expansion bill probably depends on your pre-existing point of view. The Mississippi House passed HB 1725 with a vote of 98-20 on February 28, advancing it to the Mississippi Senate.

Everyone would like to see reliable, relevant data about a truly comparable, prior State expansion, but no such data is available. Since we have little more than confirmation bias to inform us, none should question the character or motives of those who see this differently. Here’s a short, over-simplified explanation of why this topic confounds so many who sincerely want to get it right.

Who would be eligible for expanded Mississippi Medicaid coverage?

There are 15 coverage categories; low Modified Adjusted Gross Income (MAGI) alone won’t suffice. To qualify under the most restrictive category, non-disabled adults with dependents, your MAGI must be very low indeed. Typically, these are households with reported income from part-time or sporadic employment at or just above the minimum wage. Mississippi has the option to raise this limit to 138% of the Federal Poverty Limit (FPL), thereby drawing a more generous federal Medicaid match – currently up to 95% of qualifying expenditures.

HB 1725 goes all-in. Even if CMS (the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) disapproves the bill’s work requirement, full expansion will happen; so says section 1(f) of HB 1725. Mississippi Medicaid would no longer cover only the abjectly impoverished; it would cover many people with full-time jobs that pay more than the minimum wage.

When would Mississippi Medicaid expansion become effective?

Even if CMS denies Mississippi’s work requirement request, the enrolled expansion population would be covered beginning January 1, 2025, based on HB 1725 as passed by the House.

What is the difference between Medicaid and “Obamacare”?

Medicaid is a federal/state health insurance program administered mostly by states but funded, in the poorest states, almost entirely with federal dollars. Payments to providers are, in most situations, lower than private insurance or Medicare payments.

Currently, there is a gap between the upper MAGI limit for adult Mississippi Medicaid and the lower limit of “Obamacare” subsidy eligibility. Mississippi households with income 100% to 400% of the Federal Poverty Level are eligible to buy federally subsidized, privately issued health insurance plans through Healthcare.gov – the “Obamacare” web site. See for yourself. Go there, enter single member household, minimum wage, full-time job numbers (amounting to $14,720 annually) and the site’s calculator will tell you that your income is too high for Mississippi Medicaid but that you are eligible for Obamacare subsidies.

Through “Advance Premium Tax Credits,” the Feds pay all Obamacare premiums for households with incomes between 100% and 150% of the FPL. There also are “Cost Sharing Reduction” subsidies, but, even with them, beneficiaries may have to bear several thousand dollars annually of “out-of-pocket” (OOP) costs that they would not bear if Medicaid had covered the same medical expenses.

What’s the problem?

Lest this article become a book, let’s just scratch the surface. Should HB 1725 become law as passed by the House, the upper Medicaid adult MAGI limit will substantially overlap the lower limit of Obamacare subsidies. Healthcare.gov will redirect Mississippi applicants to Medicaid if they enter Medicaid-qualifying MAGI numbers, reducing federal expense for that household’s coverage (100% of premiums plus cost sharing reduction subsidies), while increasing State expense (5% of covered costs of care for the expansion population). The added Mississippi Medicaid burden of the newly enrolled would be known in percentage terms but unknown in absolute dollar – i.e., budgetary – terms. The State’s cost could be raised further by small employer decisions to drop their plans. Some people now working full time for their employer-sponsored insurance might quit or go part time, and Mississippi already has the nation’s lowest workforce participation rate. HB 1725 anticipates this and directs the Division of Medicaid to make coverage hoppers wait a year to enroll in Medicaid. Just like the work requirement, this would require CMS approval.

Plus, enforcement mechanisms and capacities are unclear. If the people dropping from employer insurance plans tend to be younger and healthier than average, those plan terms and premiums may get worse as claim experience trends badly. Some small employers might become uninsurable, effectively. In the worst-case scenario, expansion might solve much of the Obamacare OOP problem for current uninsureds while creating a new group of uninsureds who would be less likely to qualify for full Obamacare subsidies. A similar expansion consequence could wreck Mississippi Obamacare. About 286,000 Mississippians are enrolled in a 2024 Healthcare.gov plan.

If insurers expect most of them to shift to 2025 Medicaid, will those insurers compete for the shrunken 2025 Healthcare.gov business? How much would the remaining insurer(s) raise premiums in response to what they may see as increased risk? If rates spike or if insurers bail out, many new uninsureds could fall in a new gap between expanded Medicaid and employer-provided coverage.

What could go right?

“Only two people know the future: God and a fool,” says the Lebanese proverb. Medicaid expansion worries may turn out to have been excessive. Expansion might cost the State little, solve the Obamacare OOP problem, throw a lifeline to struggling providers, increase workforce participation, and not wreck the Obamacare exchange program. An old joke, told by Milton Berle, is an apt one: “Two Irishmen are leaving a bar …. What? It could happen!” This, too, could happen. In hindsight, expansion proponents might seem to have been prescient.

But everyone is guessing. If your friend’s guess doesn’t match yours, he or she should remain your friend. Let it be so, please.

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Mississippi

Carpenter Pole and Piling invests $5M in Mississippi, creating 10 jobs

Published

7 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Carpenter Pole and Piling invests M in Mississippi, creating 10 jobs

Staff
| Mississippi Clarion Ledger

A Mississippi wood products manufacturer is investing nearly $5 million in an expansion.
Carpenter Pole and Piling’s project is expected to create 10 new jobs in Wiggins.
The expansion includes a new treatment plant and an additional 20 acres for storage.
Construction is anticipated to be completed by September 2026.

A wood products manufacturer is set to create new jobs as part of a major expansion.

Carpenter Pole and Piling is investing nearly $5 million into its Wiggins, Mississippi, operation.

The expansion will add 10 new positions and support long-term growth in the region.

“Carpenter Pole and Piling is a true Mississippi success story, and we’re proud to see the company continue investing right here at home,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said.

“This expansion in Stone County is creating new opportunities for hardworking Mississippians while strengthening a company that has long contributed to our state’s economy,” Reeves said. “When Mississippi businesses grow, our communities grow with them, and we remain committed to fostering a business environment where companies can thrive.”

Carpenter Pole and Piling produces utility poles and pilings for marine and foundation use.

The project includes construction of a new treatment plant, investment in a 2,600-cubic-foot autoclave and an alternative treatment option to improve production capacity.

The company is also clearing and preparing an additional 20 acres for a new pole storage yard.

Stone County is also contributing to the project.

The company expects to complete construction by September 2026.

The new roles are expected to be filled by January 2027.

Carpenter Pole and Piling specializes in the production of utility poles. It also manufactures foundation and marine pilings.

The new autoclave will increase production and add an alternative treatment option.

This story was created by business and development writer Ross Reily, with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more.

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Mississippi

CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi

Published

19 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

CBSB: Southern Miss sweeps again, Mississippi State shines in Texas, Ole Miss struggles – SuperTalk Mississippi

Southern Miss earned its second consecutive sweep, rounding out a mostly successful weekend of college baseball for Mississippi’s major programs.

The No. 12 Golden Eagles (10-1), fresh off a mercy-rule victory over Alabama, exited a hostile Louisiana Tech environment with three straight wins versus a former conference counterpart. Christian Ostrander’s crew won 8-3 on Friday, cruised to an 11-0 run-rule victory through seven innings on Saturday, and was on the good side of a 6-2 scoreboard in Sunday’s finale.

A three-run bomb by Kyle Morrison in the top of the fourth of Friday’s game put the black and gold up 5-3, and solid pitching carried the team the rest of the way. A six-run top of the fourth of Saturday’s game, in part due to a Matthew Russo 2 RBI single, broke a scoring stalemate and fueled Southern Miss to a win in a shortened matchup. A two-run long ball by Joey Urban in the top of the ninth of Sunday’s battle gave the Golden Eagles a buffer that would not be eclipsed.

Kros Sivley (2-0) was Friday’s winning pitcher after logging a pair of strikeouts in 1.2 innings. Grayden Harris (2-0) got the win on Saturday after fanning five batters and surrendering no runs through six complete innings. Camden Sunstrom (1-0) closed out the finale with the win after striking out two batters and not giving up a hit or a run in the final two frames.

Mississippi State wins two in Texas

The No. 4 Bulldogs (11-1) had a solid weekend in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series. Brian O’Connor’s club handled the weekend test with an 8-4 win over Arizona State, a 15-8 victory over Virginia Tech, and a heartbreaking 8-7 extra-innings loss to No. 1 UCLA.

Mississippi State broke a scoring hiatus on Friday with a strong bottom of the fifth. A Bryce Chance RBI single scored the game’s first run, then a Gehrig Frei homer put the Bulldogs up 4-0. Three insurance runs were added in the next offensive frame, and Mississippi State did not look back. On Saturday, an Ace Reece longball gave the maroon and white a 4-0 lead in the top of the second. Virginia Tech chipped away, cutting the deficit to two runs, until a five-run top of the seventh put things out of reach.

Sunday’s finale was a battle between two teams vying for bragging rights as the nation’s best. The Bruins took an early 3-0 lead, but Mississippi State quickly countered. A two-run bomb by Reed Stallman and an RBI double by Ryder Woodson knotted things up 3-3 in the bottom of the fourth. The Bulldogs added a run in the bottom of the seventh and eighth innings to lead 5-3.

A two-out home run by UCLA’s Roch Cholowsky tied the ballgame in the top of the ninth. Mississippi State, with runners on second and third and no outs in the bottom of the ninth, could not send a runner home. A wild pitch and a 2 RBI triple scored three Bruins in the top of the 10th. Stallman hit his second home run of the day to inch the Bulldogs within one run of their foe, but it was not followed up with more scoring.

Winning pitchers for Mississippi State this weekend were Ryan McPherson (2-0) and Tomas Valincius (3-0), while Ben Davis (0-1) was tabbed with the lone loss.

Ole Miss struggles in neutral-site tournament

In its first set of tests versus power conference opponents, the Rebels (10-2) struggled mightily, dropping two of three outings in the BRUCE BOLT College Classic. Mike Bianco’s club fell to Baylor 6-5 in extra innings on Friday before bouncing back on Saturday in an 8-0 win over Ohio State and suffering a 9-2 loss to Coastal Carolina in Sunday’s finale. Ole Miss was a combined 0-18 at the plate with runners in scoring position in the two losses.

Though the weekend didn’t play to the Rebels’ advantage, a few individual performers stood out. Murray State transfer Dom Decker, who entered his junior campaign without hitting a home run, hit three balls over the outfield wall at the Houston Astros’ Daikin Park. Hunter Elliott had a career-high 11 strikeouts on Friday, while Cade Townsend and Taylor Rabe collectively fanned 16 batters in Saturday’s shutout.

Next up

Southern Miss will play a pair of home midweek games, the first being against Mississippi State on Tuesday at 6 p.m. and the second versus Nicholls on Wednesday at 6 p.m., before hosting North Alabama over the weekend.

Mississippi State will host Lipscomb over the weekend after facing the Golden Eagles.

Ole Miss will host Memphis on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. and North Alabama on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m., before welcoming Evansville for a weekend series.

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Mississippi

Mississippi State women’s basketball vs LSU, Kim Mulkey score, live updates, start time, TV

Published

1 day ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Mississippi State women’s basketball vs LSU, Kim Mulkey score, live updates, start time, TV

STARKVILLE — Mississippi State women’s basketball is playing its final regular season game against No. 6 LSU at Humphrey Coliseum on March 1 (3 p.m., SEC Network).

The Bulldogs (18-11, 5-10 SEC) enter the game on the NCAA Tournament bubble after losing three consecutive games, so an upset win could secure an at-large bid.

The Tigers (25-4, 11-4) and coach Kim Mulkey have won three straight games. Their only losses of the season are to Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Texas and South Carolina.

The Clarion Ledger is bringing you live updates from the game. Follow along.

Watch Mississippi State vs LSU