Buoyed by victories in conservative states like Missouri and Oklahoma, health care advocates are renewing a push for Medicaid expansion in Mississippi. Although the state’s Republican leadership has long opposed the program, supporters say the coronavirus is shifting the way some people are approaching the issue. Many people are jobless and in need of health care, and hospitals are suffering financially. Since Donald Trump was elected, voters in Idaho, Nebraska, Utah, Oklahoma, Maine and most recently Missouri have approved Medicaid expansion by ballot measures. In Virginia, legislators passed Medicaid expansion after Democrats gained power. A new collaborative, “Southerners for Medicaid Expansion,” is hoping to build on that momentum. AP)
