The Inflation Reduction Act Is A Great Forward Step, But More Must Be Done To Help Mississippians, says Mississippi Center for Justice

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

August 12, 2022

Contact: Nikita Sibley, nsibley@rabengroup.com, 850-345-7092

The Inflation Reduction Act Is A Great Forward Step, But More Must Be Done To Help Mississippians, says Mississippi Center for Justice

Jackson, MS – Vangela M. Wade, president and CEO of the Mississippi Center for Justice, issued the following statement in response to today’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) by the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation now heads to President Biden’s desk for his signature. 

“The Inflation Reduction Act marks a significant step towards addressing many of the disparities that Mississippians face – particularly in our health system. Every day, Mississippians struggle to access affordable, quality health care – causing our state to rank dead last or near the bottom in almost every health metric. Older Americans face particularly grevious health risks due to widespread retirement insecurity. 

“With the legislative package, however, Medicare will have the ability to negotiate prescription drug prices, slashing costs for life-saving medications. Medicare recipients with diabetes – accounting for more than a quarter of Mississippi’s elderly population – will only have to spend a maximum of $35 per month on insulin. Additionally, the legislation shores up subsidies for the ACA – a huge boon for low-income Mississippians. 

“While the package is a positive development, we must also acknowledge that our fight to increase access to affordable healthcare continues. At the national level, the IRA did not close the Medicaid coverage gap, which prevents hundreds of thousands of low-income Americans from accessing affordable care. At the local level, our state leaders have yet to expand Medicaid, even though it would unleash a wave of health benefits and create thousands of jobs. Local leaders also declined to expand postpartum Medicaid coverage, leaving mothers and their children unprotected from devastating health issues. 

“People in our state are in desperate need of help. It is shameful that our elected leaders continue to deny common-sense and fiscally responsible measures to protect people. Much more must be done to ensure that communities across Mississippi are healthy and thriving.”

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The Mississippi Center for Justice is dedicated to dismantling the state’s culture of inequity and injustice. Support and staffed by attorneys and other professionals, the Center pursues strategies to combat discrimination and poverty statewide.