Senator Hyde-Smith pushes rural health bills
Mississippi Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith is backing new legislation in the Senate aimed at improving rural health care access. The Rural Health Innovation Act would create two federal grant programs to…
health care
Mississippi legislative leaders advocate Medicaid expansion, heading to conflict with the governor
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi’s Republican legislative leaders said Thursday that they plan to push for Medicaid expansion to cover working people who earn too little to afford private insurance — a position that business groups have advocated but…
Mississippi passes quicker pregnancy Medicaid coverage to try to reduce deaths of moms and babies
BY MICHAEL GOLDBERG Updated 2:58 PM CST, February 29, 2024 Share JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi Legislature is sending a bill to the governor that will allow women with low incomes to get Medicaid coverage earlier in pregnancy, in an…
In closing days of Mississippi governor’s race, candidates clash over how to fund health care
BY EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi Republican Gov. Tate Reeves said Thursday that he is working to ease financial problems for struggling hospitals — but the Democratic nominee for governor, Brandon Presley, said Reeves is hurting the state by…
Memorial Gulfport receive national recognition for stroke care and aftercare
Memorial Health System in Gulfport has been nationally recognized by the American Heart Association. They’ve been given the Gold Plus Standard for the 2023 ‘Get with the…
Coastal Family Health Center holds inaugural Community Field Day
It was a day of fun outdoor activities and health education in Biloxi as Coastal Family Health Center held its inaugural Community Field Day. It was an…
Mississippi families protest bill to limit transgender care
By EMILY WAGSTER PETTUS JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Transgender teens, their parents and supporters protested outside the Mississippi Capitol on Wednesday, calling on legislators to kill a measure that would ban gender-affirming health care for people younger than 18. House Bill 1125…
Legislation created to stabilize hospitals in Mississippi
Three bills in state senate committees are aimed at helping stabilize hospitals and growing the health workforce in the state. Among them is Senate Bill 2372 which creates a…
Open enrollment for Medicare ends tomorrow
The annual Medicare enrollment period is about to end for this year, but seniors have time to consider options and charges to their plans. Open enrollment is when seniors can…
Deal on Capitol Hill could ease seniors' health costs
By MATT SEDENSKY and CARLA K. JOHNSON Associated Press Some older Americans are cheering news of a deal on Capitol Hill that could lead to lower drug costs. The health care and climate agreement struck by Senate Majority Leader Chuck…
At-home COVID tests available at county health departments
Starting Monday, free at-home COVID-19 tests will be available at all Mississippi county health departments. Each family can receive eight tests (four packages) of BinaxNOW antigen rapid self-tests per month. No doctor’s note or documentation of any kind is necessary.…
Mississippi could rethink a Medicaid managed care contract
JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — The Mississippi House has voted to make the state’s Medicaid program end a contract with health care giant Centene, although that plan could change later as lawmakers continue to debate issues. Centene settled a lawsuit last year that…
MGCCC partners with Singing River for on-campus care
Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Singing River Health System are building on a successful history of collaboration to provide better access to high-quality care for MGCCC students,…
Coastal Family Health Center offering assistance with ACA open enrollment
Coastal Family Health Center is offering one-on-one assistance to those needing health insurance during the Affordable Care Act open enrollment. It opened yesterday and will accept…
The MolinaCares Accord launches COVID-19 vaccine campaign featuring Jerry Rice
The MolinaCares Accord (“MolinaCares”), in collaboration with Molina Healthcare of Mississippi, teamed up with football Hall of Famer and three-time Super Bowl champion Jerry Rice, a Crawford native, to launch a television and digital advertising campaign to help encourage Mississippians…
Mississippi pharmacist, Louisiana marketer plead guilty in health care fraud scheme
A Mississippi pharmacist pleaded guilty today and a Louisiana marketer pleaded guilty on Aug. 12 in the Southern District of Mississippi for their roles in a multi-million-dollar scheme to defraud TRICARE and private insurance companies by paying kickbacks to distributors…
New Orleans health system pushes further into Mississippi
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A large New Orleans-based health system with hospitals in Louisiana and Mississippi plans a merger that will deepen its presence in Mississippi. Ochsner Health and Rush Health Systems said in a news release Thursday that officials…
Mississippi considers longer postpartum Medicaid coverage
By LEAH WILLINGHAM Associated Press/Report for America JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - Mississippi legislators are trying to improve the health of new mothers and their babies by allowing women who are enrolled in Medicaid to keep that coverage for up to…
Ochsner Medical Center - Hancock names new CEO
Ochsner Health has named Wilson Thomas as Chief Executive Officer for Ochsner Medical Center- Hancock and Hancock’s affiliated Health Centers on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Thomas, a native of Mobile, most recently served as Project CEO for Community Health Systems,…
Molina Healthcare to expand footprint in Mississippi in 2021
Molina Healthcare of Mississippi (“Molina”) on Monday announced that the company will expand its Health Insurance Marketplace footprint (also known as Exchange) from 19 counties to all 82 counties in the state, effective Jan. 1, 2021. In addition to the…
Keesler Air Force Base hosts first-ever drive-through health fair
Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi is taking the health care of our military men and women to a whole new level. The mission: healthcare and cancer screenings. Location: Keesler Air Force Base. The objective: keep our military men and…
Local nurse helping COVID-19 patients in Texas
A local nurse is fighting on the front lines of COVID-19 in Texas. Gulfport resident Lina Jones aids hospitals overwhelmed with COVID-19 patients in McAllen, Texas. She works on the rapid response team for Fresenius Kidney Care, caring for patients…
Raising awareness and money for mental health care
No matter what type of job you have, no worker is immune to the far-reaching and added stress of COVID-19 concerns and mandates. The work place can be stressful during normal times, but add the pressures during these days of…
William Carey medical school earns national No. 3 ranking
U.S. News & World Report this year ranked William Carey University’s College of Osteopathic Medicine No. 3 nationwide in producing the highest percentage of primary care residents. The 2020 rankings are based on data from 2017 to 2019 and included…