Mississippi Lawmakers Revise Some Medicaid Services | Jackson Free Press | Jackson, MS

Mississippi Lawmakers Revise Some Medicaid Services

Mississippi lawmakers are updating the state's Medicaid program, allocating nearly $1 billion in state funds for the program that insures 1 in 4 state residents.

Mississippi lawmakers are updating the state's Medicaid program, allocating nearly $1 billion in state funds for the program that insures 1 in 4 state residents. Photo by Imani Khayyam.

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi lawmakers are updating the state's Medicaid program, allocating nearly $1 billion in state funds for the program that insures 1 in 4 state residents.

Senate Bill 2836 was approved Tuesday by the House and Senate and sent to Republican Gov. Phil Bryant for his approval or veto.

It would establish funding for addiction treatment and remove the previous limit on the number of doctors' visits and prescriptions.

The bill was agreed to after negotiations that focused on an effort by a group of Mississippi hospitals to obtain part of the managed care insurance business from the state agency.

The government health insurance program for the needy is funded with state and federal dollars. For every dollar the state pays into the program, the federal government pays about $3.

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