Syringe Services Programs: Impact on the Spread of Communicable Diseases

Syringe Services Programs (SSPs) are community-based programs that provide access free of charge to sterile needles and syringes and facilitate safe disposal of used needles and syringes to prevent the spread of disease. Increases in injection drug use associated with the aftermath of the opioid crisis have led to greater interest in SSPs by federal and state policymakers.

While there is a growing body of research indicating that SSPs can be effective in reducing the spread of infectious diseases and … Read more...

Health Insurance Coverage & the ACA: Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviors of Mississippi Adults

In 2017, the Center for Mississippi Health Policy commissioned researchers at the Social Science Research Center (SSRC) at Mississippi State University to survey non-elderly Mississippi adults to assess their knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors related to health insurance and the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This survey serves as a follow-up to similar studies conducted in 2013 and 2014-15. The Center has prepared an Issue Brief that summarizes the results of the 2017 survey and a Chartbook with a more detailed analysis … Read more...

Preventing Unintended Pregnancy in Mississippi

The majority of new mothers in Mississippi report that their pregnancies were unintended, according to the most recently available survey data collected by the Mississippi State Department of Health.  The social and economic implications of unplanned pregnancy for women, families and the state are wide-reaching and enduring. Considering the broad array of contraception on the market and the availability of family planning services in publicly funded clinics across the state, Mississippi’s high rate of unintended pregnancy is concerning and deserves … Read more...

Rural Hospitals: Economic and Health Implications in Mississippi

The healthcare delivery and financing systems in the United States are evolving rapidly, and the impact on small rural hospitals is made evident by increasingly common news of closures or employee layoffs.  Since 2010, 58 rural hospitals have closed nationally, mostly in the South, including two in Mississippi.  Another 283 hospitals nationwide have been identified as “vulnerable,” with 22 of those in Mississippi.  As a percentage of all rural hospitals in the state, Mississippi has the highest proportion of its … Read more...

Health Coverage Options for Mississippians After Implementation of the ACA

As of January 2014, individuals in the United States are required to carry health insurance coverage as a mandate under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or they may be subject to a financial penalty.  The Center for Mississippi Health Policy has developed an Issue Brief that describes coverage options for the uninsured in Mississippi and examines alternative coverage models being tested in other states that, like Mississippi, are not opting to expand Medicaid as authorized under the ACA.

MISSISSIPPI’S UNINSURED

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