Mississippi Medicaid Requires In-Person Renewal

JACKSON, Miss. — Mississippi state lawmakers have refused to repeal a state rule that requires Medicaid beneficiaries to renew their enrollment in person each year, according to an April 2 report in the Miami Herald. Data show the number of uninsured children in the state has increased by 146,000, or 72 percent, since the policy was implemented in 2005, the report said. According to Gov. Haley Barbour (R), the rule was developed with the intention of curbing fraud. But Medicaid spokesperson Francis Rullan told the newspaper while the policy has kept people not eligible for benefits off the rolls, there is no way to tell whether fraud has been reduced.