It's been a no terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year those in favor of more Medicaid in Mississippi. First, the obvious: state lawmakers ended yet another legislative session without expanding Medicaid eligibility under the Affordable Care Act.
Legislators also declined to extend Medicaid coverage for pregnant women from six weeks to 12 months after giving birth. A bill to extend postpartum Medicaid passed the Senate with the support of the Lieutenant Governor, but it died in the House without a floor vote.
Equally significant-- and more surprising-- was lawmakers' failure to fix the state's ballot initiative process.
In 2021, a group of signature-gatherers filed an initiative that sought to expand Medicaid. That effort was put on hold when the ballot initiative process itself got taken to court and ultimately overturned. Now, any plans for Medicaid-expansion-via-popular-vote are stuck in limbo for at least another year, or however long it takes before the legislature reaches a deal to re-establish an initiative process.