Fact check: Reeves’ role in health care reforms not clear

a new tv ad He says Mississippians can “depend on Tate Reeves” to solve complex problems like the state’s health crisis.

But it’s unclear how big a role the first-term governor, who is up for re-election this year, actually played in many of the policy measures proposed over the past year to curb the crisis.

Over the past few years, hospitals have been forced to close departments and lay off staff to stay open, but Reeves’ first major health policy announcement came just weeks ago, ahead of the November election. It took place just 47 days ago — after Mr. Reeves’ Democratic opponent, Brandon Pressley, made the hospital crisis a cornerstone of his 2023 campaign.

At a press conference in September, Reeves credited several other health care policies passed this Congress, some of which were touted by Lt. Gov. Delbert Hoseman as part of a plan to support the state’s hospitals. It was done.

Until this month, Mr. Reeves had been largely silent about the health care crisis, other than to ratchet up his opposition to Medicaid expansion, which experts agree would be the most helpful policy measure. When Mississippi Today previously asked Reeves about the hospital crisis, he dismissed the concerns and said the solution is to get more workers and people with private insurance.

Mississippi Today analyzed the accuracy of recent claims made by Reeves and his campaign staff about his role in stemming the state’s health care crisis. This is what we found.

Leadership during a pandemic

Hunter Estes, Reeves’ communications director, wrote on social media in September that the governor “led our state through COVID.”

It’s true that Reeves has been governor of Mississippi since the pandemic began in January 2020, but the state isn’t faring much better.

The pandemic pushed Mississippi’s already struggling hospitals to the brink. Hospitals’ already thin budget margins have been further thinned by the pandemic, with both staffing shortages and medical costs increasing for months. One report says nearly half of Mississippi’s rural hospitals are currently at risk of closure.

At some point during the pandemic, Mississippi The country has the highest number of deaths due to the new coronavirus infection., and at various other points, the state also ranked among the worst in the world for coronavirus cases. This comes after Reeves eased mask mandates and restrictions on non-essential gatherings, decisions that often went directly against the recommendations of state health leaders.

In two studies from council on foreign relations And that commonwealth fund In a study that evaluates how well states have performed and protected their residents during the pandemic, Mississippi ranked last on the list for its COVID-19 response performance.

The Council on Foreign Relations’ analysis was based primarily on each state’s cumulative number of COVID-19 deaths and infections, and found Mississippi ranked second-to-last for its health performance during the pandemic.

Mississippi ranked last in a Commonwealth Fund analysis that measured access, quality, spending, outcomes, and equity in health care.

Postpartum Medicaid Extension

Mr. Reeves’ staff also credited the governor with extending postpartum Medicaid, but Mr. Reeves refused to support it until the last moment, arguing that he needed more data to prove its benefits.

Medical experts in Mississippi have long implored state leaders to pass a postpartum Medicaid extension that would extend health insurance coverage from 60 days to one year for new mothers on Medicaid. Mississippi leads the nation in infant mortality and has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the nation.

The Senate tried to pass the bill for two years, but was repeatedly blocked by House leadership. Former House Speaker Philip Gunn has insisted he won’t support expanding postpartum Medicaid coverage until Reeves’ appointee, Mississippi Medicaid Director Drew Snyder, recommends it.

Snyder and his bosses had refused to take a stand on the bill, but finally wrote a letter in February urging its passage. With the letter in hand, Mr. Gunn sat beside him and allowed the bill to pass through the legislative process.

Mr. Reeves publicly endorsed the bill shortly afterward, and both chambers passed the bill.

Nurse loan repayment plan and medical worker training

The student loan repayment plan for nurses, which Reeves touted at the news conference, was introduced by Hosemann as part of a plan to support hospitals during the legislative session.

It’s unclear what other involvement Reeves had, other than getting the bill through the legislative process and signing it into law.

Mr. Horseman announced. Senate Bill 2373 At a press conference in January. Reeves wasn’t there.

The bill aims to encourage nurses to stay in Mississippi by paying up to $6,000 a year for up to three years to nurses who are paying off student loans after graduation.

Nursing shortages and turnover rates are at their highest levels in years, according to the latest data available.

Senate Bill 2371which allocates millions of dollars for hospital residency and fellowship programs to train and grow the state’s health care workforce, was also introduced at Hosemann’s January press conference.

Asked how involved the governor was, Reeves’ chief of staff, Cory Custer, did not provide specifics. He said that while Reeves’ office is involved in the entire legislative process, “it cannot pass a bill and sign it into law on its own.”

“The members of Congress who passed this bill deserve tremendous credit,” Castor said.

When Mississippi Today asked Reeves’ office for details on what it has done to expand training opportunities for health care workers beyond signing SB 2371, Custer said Mississippi has He said he is investing about $50 million in medical training programs over two years. , a workforce development organization. Mr. Custer, who Mr. Reeves appointed to chair the State Workforce Investment Board, which employs the executive director of AccelerateMS, works closely with both the commission and the organization. said.

“Expanding opportunities to train health care professionals is a key priority for Governor Reeves,” Castor said in an emailed statement. “Mississippi is actively implementing a variety of initiatives to strengthen Mississippi’s health care infrastructure and increase support for our health care workers.”

Hoseman, a fellow Republican, declined to say how involved Reeves was in crafting the bill.

“We visited dozens of hospitals and met with doctors, nurses, mental health professionals, pharmacists, assisted living professionals, Medicaid, health educators and other health care professionals.” said in a statement to Mississippi Today. “Based on the knowledge we have gained, we will continue to support legislation to secure the future of health care delivery for our people.”

Mississippi Hospital Sustainability Grant Program

The Mississippi Hospital Sustainability Grant Program, which Reeves touted at a September news conference as one of the steps he took to improve health care, has been in trouble since its inception earlier this year.

Like the bill encouraging health care workers to remain in Mississippi, this is part of a plan Horsman proposed at the beginning of the legislative session, and Reeves’ role in its precise creation is still unclear.

Immediately after the bill passed, health care leaders complained that they were having trouble accessing funding granted under the program, which was meant to quickly get millions of people into the state’s struggling hospitals. Noticed. Instead of using state funds, the program’s funding came from federal pandemic relief funds, which most hospitals have already applied for.

As of the end of September, not a single hospital had received this funding that was supposed to help them survive this year. Program issues are still being resolved.

One-time supplemental Medicaid payment

Medicaid payments were adjusted earlier this year, resulting in a one-time additional payment of $137 million, after proposed changes to the Mississippi Hospital Access Program did not result in sufficient additional payments to hospitals. The state’s Medicaid department is under the governor’s office, but it’s unclear what Reeves’ direct role would be in making the change.