Greg Carlyle believes Medicaid saved his son’s life.
In 1997, Carlyle’s son, Andrew, was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect, something of which his family’s insurance company refused to pay.
“Can you imagine your insurance company saying ‘I’m sorry, it’s not covered?’” the Columbus Rotary Club president said Tuesday at Lion Hills Center.
But Medicaid partnered with his family to treat his son. They traveled to Atlanta for surgery under the assistance of Medicaid, and today, Andrew is 24-year-old living his fullest life.
Executive Director for the Mississippi Division of Medicaid Drew Snyder spoke to the Rotary Club’s weekly meeting Tuesday about Medicaid in the state. Medicaid is a federal and state assistance program geared toward alleviating health care costs.
Currently, 811,471 individuals are registered for Medicaid in Mississippi and 14,956 in Lowndes County. Snyder said since the COVID-19 pandemic began, enrollment is up 10 percent with 8.5 percent in Lowndes County.
Medicare, like Medicaid, is a health care assistance program, but many people confuse the two. Medicaid is a state and federally funded program based on income, while Medicare is only a federal program based on age.
“Although Medicaid and Medicare are different programs, some individuals can be dually eligible …,” Snyder said. “For some of those dually eligible individuals, we cover the cost of the coinsurance deductibles with the Medicare program.”
Medicaid is the “biggest business in the state,” Snyder said. According to the Mississippi Department of Finance and Administration website, the recommended state budget for 2021 gives Medicaid the second largest amount of funding after education.
Snyder said when he started his position in 2018, his main goal was to be a good steward of taxpayer dollars. Now, he is focused on better health outcomes for consumers. He mentioned that while the division understands the importance of Medicaid’s benefits, it also is aiming toward lower spending trends.
“Ensuring there is a good balance that we are providing the services that our members need but also doing that in a way that frees up resources that are important in other facets of government,” Snyder said.
While Mississippi is currently holding out on Medicaid expansion, Snyder said if the program is to be expanded in the future, coverage will encompass non-disabled adults ages 19 to 64 with no income or incomes up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level. The cost for the potential expansion would be approximately $2.8 billion with roughly 400,000 more Mississippians covered than the current number.
The Biden Administration, in an effort to convince the remaining 12 states who have yet to expand Medicaid under the 2010 Affordable Care Act, has announced it will cover 95 percent of those costs.
After repeated failed efforts to expand Medicaid through the Mississippi Legislature, a grassroots group backed by the Mississippi Hospital Association has filed intent to put the issue to the voters in 2022. Ballot Initiative 76, would amend the state constitution to expand the program.
According to Ballotpedia, the signatures of 106,190 Mississippi registered voters — 12 percent of the total votes cast in the most recent gubernatorial election — are required for the initiative to emerge on the ballot.
Snyder said while the future of Medicaid expansion is uncertain, he and the division are fully prepared with any changes that take effect.
“We’ll be ready for what adjustments take place,” Snyder said. “I think the Medicaid program has been surprising despite small changes that seem constant in large programs. The program is where it was in the late 1960s, so we think it will be around.”
Reporter Slim Smith contributed to this report.
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