It has been over 10 months since a committee tasked with advising the Mississippi Division of Medicaid last met, despite being required by law to meet quarterly.
The agency postponed the committee’s scheduled meeting for Friday and did not set a new date. Medicaid spokesperson Matt Westerfield said the meeting was canceled because of the “transition in executive leadership” after Executive Director Drew Snyder announced his resignation earlier this month.
The Medical Care Advisory Committee is a federally mandated public body that offers expertise and opinions to the Division of Medicaid about health and medical care services. It is made up of doctors, managed care organization representatives and other Medicaid stakeholders.
The advisory group has not met yet this year because new member appointments – made by the governor, lieutenant governor and house speaker – were not finalized until August, said Medicaid spokesperson Matt Westerfield.
The committee’s recommendations have played a crucial role in crafting state Medicaid policy in the past. In 2023, the advisory group’s recommendation contributed to the Legislature’s passage of postpartum Medicaid coverage.
The advisory group’s last meeting was Dec. 8, 2023.
At that meeting, Snyder and a hospital CEO stalled a vote on pregnancy presumptive eligibility, which allows eligible low-income women to receive timely prenatal care, by suggesting that the committee wait to review further information about the policy at a special meeting in January.
The special meeting never happened.
Regardless, the Legislature passed a bill that allows low-income pregnant women to be presumed eligible for health care coverage while their Medicaid application is being processed in May 2023.
No minutes were produced from the December meeting, said Westerfield. Mississippi’s public records law requires that minutes be kept for all meetings of a public body.
The committee is composed of at least 11 members appointed by the governor, lieutenant governor and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. All members must be health care providers or consumers of health services, and each official must include a board-certified physician among their appointments.
Mississippi Medicaid Executive Director Drew Snyder also made appointments to the committee in accordance with state law and new federal regulations released in April.
Gov. Tate Reeves made his appointments in February, Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann in July, and Speaker of the House Jason White and Snyder in August.
Hosemann’s spokesperson did not answer a question about the delay in appointments. White did not respond to a request for comment.
Westerfield said the new federal requirements for the committee affected the timing of Snyder’s appointments.
The federal policy, which went into effect July 9, heightens the role that beneficiaries play in shaping Medicaid programs and policy.
The rule requires states to establish a Beneficiary Advisory Council composed solely of Medicaid members, their families and caregivers. Some of those members will serve on the Medical Care Advisory Committee, which will be renamed the Medicaid Advisory Committee, beginning next year.
Mississippi law requires the Medicaid Advisory Committee to provide a written report to the Governor, Lt. Governor and Speaker of the House of Representatives before Nov. 30.
The current members of the committee are as follows:
Dr. Jason Dees (Molina Healthcare)
Dr. Wade Dowell (Indianola Family Medical Group)
Ellen Friloux (North Mississippi Medical Center)
Dr. Anita Henderson (Hattiesburg Clinic)
Joy Hogge (Families as Allies)
Bennet Hubbard (Advanced Healthcare Management)
Dr. Jim Hurt (Columbus Orthopaedics)
Dr. Billy Long (GI Associates, retired)
Dr. Charles O’Mara (University of Mississippi Medical Center, retired)
Lesa McGillivray (UnitedHealthcare Community and State)
Dr. Craig Moffett (Maben Medical Clinic)
Kent Nicaud (Memorial Health System Hospital at Gulfport)
Richard Roberson (Mississippi Hospital Association)
Michael Todaro (Magnolia Health Plan)
Dr. Marty Tucker (University of Mississippi Medical Center)
The committee also has eight non-voting members, including legislators.
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