As the death toll from the coronavirus pandemic surges in the nation, federal funds may soon be available to cover the hospital treatments for uninsured COVID-19 patients, President Donald Trump announced Friday.
Meanwhile in Mississippi, free testing is available at state-affiliated drive-up testing sites, and discounted testing is available at certain clinics and hospitals.
But for many uninsured Mississippians, those measures serve as a band-aid solution to a long-term problem that paints an uncertain picture: when the virus is gone, how can the uninsured afford the care they still need?
“It would help if I did end up with (the fee waiver for coronavirus testing),” said Carol Plunkett, an uninsured resident near Starkville. “(In the) long term, I would rather see the insurance premiums lowered to where it’s more affordable.”
Plunkett knew she wouldn’t qualify for the state Medicaid program. To be eligible as an adult under the age of 65, one has to be pregnant, blind, disabled or a low-income parent with minor children, according to the state Division of Medicaid’s website.
Meanwhile, insurance plans on Healthcare.gov, the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace that helps the uninsured enroll, still proved cost-prohibitive to her.
Brittany Marie Wells, a student at the Mississippi University for Women, has applied — but been rejected — for Medicaid three times.
“I have actually walked into the Medicaid office,” Wells said, recalling her application experience in Columbus several years ago. “The lady looked at me and she said, ‘I can tell you the only way you are going to be able to get it is if you get pregnant.'”
There is a “huge” coverage gap in Mississippi between what Medicaid and ACA marketplace subsidies cover, said Roy Mitchell, executive director of the Mississippi Health Advocacy Program. That gap leaves uninsured Mississippians falling through the cracks, especially during the pandemic.
“They are getting hit with a double whammy here,” he said, “because not only are they in the coverage gap, now (many have) lost their jobs. … There are no coverage options available for them.”
Expanding Medicaid may be the ultimate solution to provide a health care safety net for more Mississippians, Mitchell said. That’s something state lawmakers have balked at for years.
“We have foregone billions of dollars in the state by not expanding Medicaid,” he said. “In the wake of COVID-19, the gravity harm is so significant here. …We are talking about losing thousands of lives if we don’t expand Medicaid.”
But with the state Legislature halting its session amid the pandemic, lawmakers say their hands are tied. Even if they do reconvene, Medicaid expansion seems unlikely.
“I don’t believe that we would attempt to do anything as far as trying to get (uninsured Mississippians) coverage,” said Rep. Gary Chism (R-Columbus), chairman of the House Insurance Committee.
Chism said he doesn’t foresee any chance for the state to expand Medicaid even without the pandemic.
“The governor ran on not expanding Medicaid,” he said. “There is not going to be a whole lot of extra money for (it).”
Wells said she feels frustrated by the current health care system.
“It angers you a lot to know that you don’t have any medical financial help when you are actually trying to get a degree and have a job that will help you provide for your family, your medical needs and everything,” Wells said. “I just think it’s unfair.”
Yue Stella Yu was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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