Experts told a panel of lawmakers Tuesday that expanding Mississippi Medicaid would bring a large influx of federal dollars — costing the state nothing for the first two years and little in the years after.
In providing health coverage to poor, working uninsured Mississippians, it would also boost the economy, generate thousands of jobs and help struggling hospitals.
It’s nothing that experts, health providers and economists haven’t been saying for years — but it’s the first time in recent years House Republicans have offered them a platform to speak.
The House Medicaid Committee heard from speakers from the Hilltop Institute, a nonpartisan research group that partnered with the Center for Mississippi Health Policy on several Medicaid economics reports.
“I thought it was an excellent presentation by the Hilltop Institute … We are seeking information right now to make the best policy decisions that we can,” Medicaid Chairwoman Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg, said.
The hearing marks a sea change for the Mississippi Legislature.