Category: Blog
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Expanding Access Through Self-Testing: A Strategy to Reduce Congenital Syphilis in Mississippi
Health Policy Memo | Liang-Yuan (Claire) Lin | September 30th, 2025 To download the print-friendly document, click here. Winner of the University of Mississippi’s 2025 Terence E. Downer Scholarship This scholarship honors Terence E. Downer, who worked for 31 years at Johnson and Johnson and died after a short battle…
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Health Care Cost Transparency
Helping Mississippians Navigate Treatment and Medical Debt To download the print-friendly version, click here. This paper examines the significant problem of medical debt in Mississippi and its impact on both individual residents and the state’s economic well-being. The purpose of this research is to identify the main causes of medical…
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Proposal for implementing a mental health first responder training program to reduce youth incarceration in Mississippi
Written by Omkar Ghodke, University of Mississippi Winner of the Terence Downer Scholarship Executive Summary Mississippi is facing a serious youth mental health crisis that contributes to rising juvenile incarceration rates and suicides. Youth in rural areas, in particular, struggle to access timely mental health services. To address this, we…
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Establishment of presumptive eligibility for pregnant women (PEPW) in Mississippi
Written by Prachi Prajapati, University of Mississippi Winner of the Terence Downer Scholarship Executive summary The recent expansion of postpartum care coverage in Mississippi is the first step towards improvement of maternal and infant health outcomes. The focus should now move to provision of appropriate and necessary prenatal care for…
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The Medicaid Unwinding | Expectations & Estimations
Expectations & EstimationsThe pandemic tested Medicaid and health departments across the nation. Health systems were overwhelmed with a large influx of patients and demand for healthcare coverage. Congress passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) in response to this outcry which ensured patients could assess healthcare services during the COVID-19…
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Continuing Education Needed if State Passes A Medical Marijuana Program (MMP)
Healthcare providers will need education to certify new drug to patients if state passes MMPIf the state of Mississippi passes a Medical Marijuana Program (MMP), there will be an immediate need for the education of healthcare providers allowed to certify this new drug to their patients. There is a significant…
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Comprehensive Maternal Health Coverage
Women Need Quality Healthcare Before, During, and After PregnancyWomen need quality healthcare before, during, and after pregnancy for the best outcomes for moms and their babies. Through Medicaid, pregnant women with household incomes of up to 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) can gain access to health services during and a…
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The Medicaid Family Planning Waiver
One Tool in the Box to Support Maternal & Child Health in MississippiSince the early 2000’s the United States experienced a rise in the number of preventable pregnancy-related deaths as well as maternal and infant illness despite broader access to healthcare through insurance, managed care, and health educators. Mississippi has…
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How the Medical Loss Ratio Impacts Mississippi
MLR provision may result in an estimated $1.3 billion market rebateThe Medical Loss Ratio (MLR) provision, an often-forgotten part of the Affordable Care Act behind more well-known provisions, such as individuals being allowed access to insurance with a pre-existing condition or individuals being allowed to stay on their parent’s insurance…
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The Importance of Comprehensive Contraceptive Counseling
Conversations of Pros and Cons Can Lead to More Informed DecisionsIt has been nearly 60 years since birth control pills became available to women in the United States. Since that time many forms of birth control have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).