Mississippi Legislature sends presumptive Medicaid eligibility bill to governor desk

The Mississippi Legislature has sent a bill to the governor's desk that aims to expand Medicaid eligibility for pregnant women.

House Bill 539 was approved by the Senate on Wednesday with a 48-4 vote, having little opposition. The bill came right on the heels of a Republican-led historic vote in the House on Wednesday afternoon to federally expand Medicaid to more than 210,000 people.

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Sen. Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford, presented the bill to lawmakers, saying it would cost the state $567,000 per year to implement into the Mississippi Division of Medicaid.

"It simply allows a woman to see a doctor earlier during her pregnancy," Boyd said. "We are not a healthy state. Our state's pre-term birth rate is the highest in the nation, and our infant and maternal mortality rate is also highest in the nation. According to all of the leading healthcare experts, the most critical mechanism to prevent adverse pregnancy outcomes and risks is to get prenatal care."

Under the proposed law, pregnant women can receive up to 60 days of Medicaid coverage by going to a County Health Department clinic to provide proof of pregnancy and income.

The 60-day window would also allow mothers to receive medical coverage for doctor visits and prenatal care while MDM processes their application. In theory, those pregnant women would have Medicaid coverage once the 60-day window has closed.

However, if an applicant is denied Medicaid benefits during the 60 days, their coverage is ended and the state would bear the cost of the services and treatments done up until that point.

Republican Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann said he supported the legislation, saying it would help pregnant women throughout the state.

“Pro-life is pro-child," Hosemann said. "Mississippi mothers need access to healthcare the moment they find out they are pregnant, and this legislation will accomplish that. We are thankful for the consistent leadership of Senators Kevin Blackwell and Nicole Boyd on critical women’s healthcare issues in our chamber.”

Republican Gov. Tate Reeves, who has been publicly opposed to any form of Medicaid expansion over the last several weeks, in 2023 signed into law legislation to provide up to 12 months of post-partum care to mothers.

Medicaid Committee Chair Kevin Blackwell previously told the Clarion Ledger he was in favor of the bill, seeing it as the next step after the Legislature passed post-partum care last year.

Reeves now has five days after he receives it to sign, veto or allow the bill to pass into law without his signature.

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Grant McLaughlin covers state government for the Clarion Ledger. He can be reached at gmclaughlin@gannett.com or 972-571-2335.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: pregnant women could have Medicaid eligibility expanded in Mississippi