Sep 28, 2023
Hattiesburg, MS – Omeria Scott and economist Dr. Sondra Collins held a forum at L.T. Ellis Community Center where they slammed Tate Reeves for his refusal to expand Medicaid. They join a list of officials who have criticized the hospital closure governor over his refusal to take action on the state’s hospital crisis. This month, Supervisor Reggie Moore ridiculed Reeves for treating the Delta like a third-world country, he said, “There’s no healthcare, and there’s no plan,” he said. “It’s almost criminal.”
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September 28, 2023
“You’ve got hundreds of millions of dollars stolen and no insurance” State Rep. Omeria Scott Blasts Tate Reeves Over His Refusal To Expand Medicaid
Hattiesburg, MS – Omeria Scott and economist Dr. Sondra Collins held a forum at L.T. Ellis Community Center where they slammed Tate Reeves for his refusal to expand Medicaid. They join a list of officials who have criticized the hospital closure governor over his refusal to take action on the state’s hospital crisis. This month, Supervisor Reggie Moore ridiculed Reeves for treating the Delta like a third-world country, he said, “There’s no healthcare, and there’s no plan,” he said. “It’s almost criminal.”
Last week, the hospital closure governor proposed increasing taxes on hospitals to fund a desperate, election-year scheme to funnel $309 million to his political allies while short-changing smaller, rural hospitals. In the midst of the state’s hospital crisis, Tate Reeves doubled down on his position to not expand Medicaid. He said that his mind “has not changed” on Medicaid expansion.
“You’ve got hundreds of millions of dollars stolen and no insurance,” said State Rep. Omeria Scott. “Mississippi, we are the poorest, sickest state in the Union. We have more women and babies die in this state than any other, and our maternal death rates, our infant mortality death rates, are the highest in the world.”
“If you are between the ages of 19 and 64, there's really no health care for you,” said Dr. Sondra Collins, Senior Economist, MS Institutions of Higher Learning. “We estimate in our study that about 330,000 people will be eligible for Medicaid expansion. There are people who are working every day, they're working 40 hours a week, and don’t have insurance. They would qualify for Medicaid expansion.”
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