A column on the Magnolia Tribune website cites a recent poll that says Republicans in Mississippi don’t have expanding Medicaid on their Christmas wish list.
“Given a list of issues that included inflation and the economy, elimination of the state income tax, reduction of the sales tax on groceries, crime, infrastructure, and education, Medicaid expansion ranked last among priorities for Republican voters,” columnist Russ Latino wrote.
This should not be too surprising. Medicaid expansion, which for many Republicans means medical care for someone else, will never rank highly on a list that includes so many topics that directly affect many voters.
Inflation and the economy: Prices have gone way up the last three years, and it has hurt. As for the economy, Mississippi is still waiting for the promised jobs boom.
The state income tax: Anybody who pays it would never complain about paying less, or none at all as many Republicans prefer.
Grocery sales tax: Again, anybody who’s annoyed by paying 7% extra for food will support a reduction.
Crime: Everybody either has been a victim of crime or knows someone who has. Public safety always will be at or near the top of anyone’s government priorities.
Infrastructure: Drivers can list plenty of highways and bridges that the state ought to fix. Ditto for county roads and city streets, along with elderly water lines and drain pipes.
Education: The state actually has put significantly more money into schools. They’re trying some new things and focusing on the kids who need to catch up, and there are some success stories. Keep this point in mind.
Expanding Medicaid to provide better health care to the working poor simply doesn’t stand up to the issues on that list — unless, of course, you happen to be someone who makes too much money to qualify for regular Medicaid but whose job doesn’t offer health insurance.
And that’s the thing: How much should working people whose job doesn’t provide health insurance be penalized? Why shouldn’t Mississippi take an immensely generous 10-to-1 offer of federal money and give these workers a little more security than they now have?
Expansion critics have legitimate concerns. Latino noted that states that expanded Medicaid have dealt with higher-than-expected enrollments and cost overruns, and that expansion states Louisiana and Arkansas have the same percentage of at-risk rural hospitals as does non-expansion Mississippi.
What’s missing from his column is ideas on what Mississippi could do to help uninsured workers. That’s been the unsolvable riddle for Republicans since the Affordable Care Act, best known as Obamacare, became law more than a decade ago. So far, the only alternative is to do nothing, which is the path Mississippi took.
Back to the list of issues in that poll. Specifically education. What happened there?
Well, the state gave teachers a string of nice pay raises. It sent reading coaches and other specialists into school districts to help more kids focus on improving their abilities. Lawmakers changed the state education formula but generally have been willing to invest in schools, counting on a payoff down the road.
This is exactly what Mississippi should do for with the working poor. There is optimism that more and better jobs are coming. Until they get here, we ought to help those who are trying to improve themselves. There ought to be a payoff down the road. This may not be at the top of any polling list, but it’s the right thing to do.
