Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann announced Thursday legislation will be introduced in the state Senate by Monday to expand Medicaid to cover more Mississippi residents.

House Democrats unveiled their own Medicaid expansion proposal earlier this month, and House Speaker Jason White says he is open to discussing the issue.

Expanding Medicaid will cover more of the so-called “working poor,” people who earn too much to qualify for Medicaid under the current income restrictions but don’t make enough to pay for private insurance. The income cap is just under $600 per month for a four-person family.

Current estimates say about 250,000 Mississippians will be added to the state’s Medicaid rolls if expansion is passed.

State hospitals also stand to benefit as those quarter-million residents gain the coverage needed to seek preventative care and early treatments. Hospitals now treat many of those residents in emergency rooms, which can’t by law turn patients away due to inability to pay, and swallow an estimated $600 million in uncompensated care each year.

The list of pros to Medicaid expansion in Mississippi is long and continues to grow. State Economist Corey Miller has said expansion would create new jobs and result in economic growth that far outweighs the additional cost to the state. Public Health Director Daniel Edney has said Medicaid expansion will improve public health outcomes for Mississippians. Hospital executives have said expanding Medicaid will also benefit the state’s healthcare sector.

States were first given the option of expanding Medicaid in 2014. A decade later, Mississippi remains one of just 10 states that have not taken the opportunity. The delay, in large part, is due to strong opposition to the expansion from a handful of elected state officials.

With Hosemann beginning his second term this year, and White stepping into the speaker role in the House, the 2024 Legislative session shows significant signs of those political headwinds changing and the potential for meaningful action addressing the state’s healthcare crisis in the next four years.

Medicaid expansion isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, and input from numerous public and private leaders will be needed to craft a program that works for Mississippi. The bills introduced this year, however, are a sign of progress and mark the beginning of discussions that are long overdue.