As Mississippi continues to lead the nation in charges of maternal, infant and fetal mortality, the Mississippi House authorized a invoice final week that would grant a pregnant woman presumptive eligibility for Medicaid in order that she may go to the physician whereas the State completed her dedication.

To qualify for presumptive eligibility below House Bill 539, a pregnant girl should go to a federally certified well being heart, a county well being division, or a Department of Medicaid educated and authorized supplier to get a being pregnant check—displaying proof of earnings. After a supplier approves her for presumptive eligibility, she would be capable to go to her obstetrician for a most of 60 days whereas DOM finishes deciding whether or not so as to add the lady to the official Medicaid rolls.

The invoice’s creator and House Medicaid Committee chairwoman Rep. Missy McGee, R-Hattiesburg, stated this system’s value to the state could be $567,000.

“So the benefits are great. The risks are really small for the state,” she said on the House floor on Jan. 31. “And in a state where we have the highest fetal mortality, infant mortality and maternal mortality, I think this will go a long way in helping moms and babies be healthy and give babies the best shot for a healthy life.”

H.B. 539 had a bipartisan listing of sponsors, together with Rep. Zakiya Summers, D-Jackson; Rep. Clay Mansell, R-Clinton; Rep. Omeria Scott, D-Laurel; Rep. Jeffrey Hulum, D-Gulfport; Rep. Justis Gibbs, D-Jackson; and Rep. Fabian Nelson, D-Byram. The House handed the invoice on Jan. 31, and it now goes to the Senate. If the Senate approves H.B. 539 with out making any adjustments, it’ll then head to Gov. Tate Reeves’ desk the place he can select whether or not to signal it into regulation.

Prior-Authorization Regulation

Insurance firms could be required to alter how they deal with prior authorizations for sufferers to acquire uncovered medicines or procedures below Senate Bill 2140, which the Senate handed and despatched to the House on Jan. 31.

The proposal would require insurance coverage firms to offer a listing of medicines and different providers that require sufferers to acquire prior authorization and to publish the listing on-line for the general public to view together with “prior authorization statistics.”

A well being insurer must “periodically review its prior authorization requirements” and should have to take away necessities in “certain cases” below S.B. 2140.

“A health insurance may not revoke or further limit, condition or restrict a previously issued prior authorization while it remains valid under this act unless certain exclusions are applicable,” S.B. 2140 says.

Senate Insurance Committee Chairman Sen. Walter Michel, R-Ridgeland, who authored the invoice, stated some Mississippi legislators have been trying to get a previous authorization invoice handed since 2022, and the difficult nature of the subject referred to as for additional hearings throughout the summertime.

He stated docs have referred to as on the Legislature to handle prior authorization points in order that insurance coverage firms must reply medical suppliers’ requests in a well timed method.

“And the authorization process, what we’re looking to happen is for the medical procedure to be approved and for the insurance company to say, ‘Yes, that follows in the guidelines of our policy, and we’re going to pay for it.’ That’s pretty simple,” Michel said on the Senate floor on Jan. 31. “The patient wants to make sure they’re going to get the procedure, and the medical doctor, it’s only fair that they get paid for doing the procedure.”

The invoice loved bipartisan assist, and its cosponsors embody Sens. Charles Younger, R-Columbus; Brice Wiggins, R-Pascagoula; Joseph Thomas, D-Yazoo City; Neil Whaley, R-Potts Camp; Hillman Frazier, D-Jackson; Michael McLendon, R-DeSoto; Scott DeLano, R-Gulfport; Nicole Boyd, R-Oxford; Daniel Sparks, R-Belmont; Angela Burks Hill, R-Picayune; John Horhn, D-Jackson; Sollie Norwood, D-Jackson; Derrick Simmons, D- Greenville; Lydia Chassaniol, D-Winona; Jennifer Branning, R-Philadelphia; Gary Brumfield, D-Magnolia; David Parker, R-Olive Branch; and Sarita Simmons, D-Cleveland. The Senate authorized the invoice on Jan. 31, and it’ll head to the House for extra work.

If the House approves the invoice with out adjustments, it’ll go to Gov. Tate Reeves’ desk the place he can resolve whether or not or to not signal it into regulation.

Online Sports Betting

Online sports betting may soon be legal below House Bill 774, the Mississippi Mobile Sports Wagering Act. The invoice would make storefront playing companies signal a contract with on-line playing platforms that solely settle for cash from bettors in Mississippi who’re 21 and older.

Last 12 months, legislators handed and Gov. Tate Reeves signed House Bill 606, which created a committee of lawmakers that researched on-line sports activities betting and heard from specialists.

In-person sports betting has been authorized since 2018 when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the 1992 Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act.

Rep. Casey Eure, R-Saucier, authored the invoice and stated the Gaming Commission’s calculations present the state may make $25 to $35 million yearly from taxes.

“Mississippi had 9.3 million checks, which means 9.3 million people tried to place illegal sports bets in our state last year,” he said on the House floor on Feb. 1. “Texas had 5 million. So that shows you how many Mississippians are wanting to use a legal site and utilize mobile sports betting.”

The consultant stated Mississippi will not be gaining income from unlawful gaming websites and that persons are taking their cash to Tennessee and Louisiana, which have legalized on-line sports activities betting.

The invoice’s bipartisan slate of cosponsors contains Reps. Zachary Grady, R-D’Iberville; Christopher Bell, D-Jackson; Jeffrey Hulum, R-Gulfport; Jay McKnight, R-Gulfport; Fabian Nelson, D-Byram; Shane Aguirre, R-Tupelo. The House handed an amended model of the invoice on Feb. 1. If  the Senate approves H.B. 774 with no adjustments, it’ll go to Gov. Reeves’ desk.