How I Will Fight For You
Affordable Healthcare
No family should go broke trying to see a doctor or afford life-saving medication. Access to healthcare is a basic necessity especially in a state where rural hospitals are closing, costs keep rising, and current policies continue to decrease funding for Mississippi’s fragile healthcare system.
Insurance Coverage Gaps
Mississippi’s last attempt to put aside partisan beliefs and take advantage of the ACA’s 2014 expansion of Medicaid stalled in the State Senate in March 2024. Failure to expand Medicaid creates a coverage gap — 74,000 Mississippians ineligible for Medicaid, but unable to afford Marketplace premiums, while the state leaves approximately $2B in federal funds on the table each year.
Rural Healthcare
Nearly half of Mississippi’s rural hospitals operate with negative margins — vulnerable to closure. In 2023 Mississippi hospitals provided more than $600 million in uncompensated care. $236 million coming from rural hospitals alone. Analyses of Medicaid expansion project a reduction in uncompensated care, keeping the doors of rural hospitals open and stabilizing care.
My Track recordI worked across party lines to sponsor and help pass legislation expanding presumptive Medicaid eligibility for prenatal care, helping expectant mothers access care sooner. I also introduced additional legislation to strengthen healthcare access in Mississippi — fighting to address Medicaid coverage and pharmacy benefit manager practices that affect prescription costs of working families.