Medicaid agency: DOM
Mississippi Medicaid is administered by the Division of Medicaid (DOM), housed in the Office of the Governor as the state's single Medicaid agency under Miss. Code Ann. § 43-13-107. Managed care runs through MississippiCAN, which enrolled 478,746 members across three health plans in CMS's 2024 report year; that roster has since turned over, with Mississippi True d/b/a TrueCare replacing UnitedHealthcare when new four-year Coordinated Care Organization contracts began operating July 1, 2025. Children's Health Insurance Program benefits run under those same contracts rather than a separate delivery system. Beneficiaries in a Section 1915(c) home- and community-based waiver, dual eligibles, and beneficiaries in institutional care are excluded from MississippiCAN and remain fee-for-service. Mississippi has not adopted ACA Medicaid expansion. Two Section 1115 demonstrations run alongside managed care: the Healthier Mississippi Waiver, covering aged and disabled beneficiaries with income up to 135% of the federal poverty level who are not eligible for Medicare, capped at 6,000 enrollees and extended through September 30, 2029, and a Family Planning Waiver extended through December 31, 2027.
MississippiCAN covers mandatory populations (TANF-linked children and caretakers, pregnant women, newborns, SSI recipients, and working-disabled and breast/cervical-cancer-eligible adults) plus optional groups such as foster care children, through a choice of coordinated care organization; enrollees have 90 days after enrollment to switch plans or opt out where eligible, and open enrollment runs each October 1 through December 15 for a January 1 effective date. In CMS's 2024 report year, the program's three plans (Magnolia Health Plan, Molina Healthcare, and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan) together enrolled 478,746 members: Magnolia 193,826, UnitedHealthcare 186,115, and Molina 98,805. That roster has since changed: current four-year Coordinated Care Organization contracts, running through August 11, 2028, began operating July 1, 2025, with Mississippi True d/b/a TrueCare replacing UnitedHealthcare. Today's three CCOs, covering both MississippiCAN and CHIP under the same contracts, are Magnolia Health Plan, Molina Healthcare, and Mississippi True d/b/a TrueCare; enrollment has not yet been published under the new roster.
Long-term services and supports sit outside MississippiCAN entirely. Beneficiaries in a Section 1915(c) home- and community-based waiver, along with dual eligibles and beneficiaries in institutional care, are excluded from managed care and served fee-for-service. Five 1915(c) waivers cover this population: Elderly and Disabled, Independent Living, Traumatic Brain Injury/Spinal Cord Injury, Assisted Living, and Intellectual Disabilities/Developmental Disabilities. The Independent Living Waiver also runs under a concurrent Section 1915(b)(4) selective-contracting authority, alongside a separate Fee-for-Service Selective Contracting Program approved by CMS on June 26, 2023.
Not integrated into managed care
Mental health services are included in the standard MississippiCAN benefit package delivered by each Coordinated Care Organization rather than carved out to a separate behavioral health vendor.
Carved in
Dental care for adults is a limited MississippiCAN plan benefit, and each Coordinated Care Organization may subcontract with its own dental vendor rather than the state using a single statewide administrator.
Gainwell Technologies has served as Mississippi's single Pharmacy Benefit Administrator since July 1, 2024, covering fee-for-service, MississippiCAN, and CHIP claims alike and replacing an arrangement in which each Coordinated Care Organization used its own PBM. DOM requires a single Universal Preferred Drug List across all three.
Modivcare has brokered non-emergency medical transportation for fee-for-service Medicaid beneficiaries since June 8, 2024, replacing the prior broker, MTM. MississippiCAN enrollees instead receive non-emergency transportation as a covered benefit through their own health plan.
Gainwell Technologies operates Mississippi's Medicaid Management Information System and serves as fiscal agent under the state's MESA (Medicaid Enterprise System Assistance) brand, which began full operations October 3, 2022, replacing the prior fiscal agent, Conduent. Gainwell separately holds Mississippi's pharmacy benefit administrator contract.
396 agency updates tracked for Mississippi. Available with Pro.
See them with ProMississippi's Joint Legislative Budget Committee held two days of public hearings last week, starting the formal process of building a recommendation for the state's fiscal year 2027 budget, currently running at over $32 billion including $13.11 billion in federal funds. The committee will develop a budget recommendation before the legislative session begins January 5, 2027, which then serves as a starting point for lawmakers. Federal funds make up a significant share of spending for agencies including Medicaid, Human Services, Environmental Quality and Transportation, while the general fund and state-support funds ($9.22 billion) are the portion legislators have the most discretion over. The article describes the ongoing, largely behind-the-scenes annual budgeting cycle rather than a specific new policy decision.
Mississippi's Division of Medicaid asked lawmakers for a roughly $179 million state funding increase for the fiscal year beginning July 2027, a 15% rise but far smaller than last year's nearly $390 million initial request. The agency also anticipates a $34 million shortfall in the current fiscal year. Executive Director Cindy Bradshaw told the Joint Legislative Budget Committee the figure will likely change, noting a slight federal matching-rate increase is expected to reduce the request by about $25 million. The agency's total projected budget, including federal funds, is $9.4 billion; cost-containment efforts include contractor and long-term care audits, prior authorization reviews, and reduced managed care profit margins. Lawmakers will issue budget recommendations in December ahead of the 2027 legislative session.
CMS has approved $104 million in federal funding to Mississippi to expand rural healthcare access through technology infrastructure and care delivery improvements. The funding will support telehealth expansion, care coordination technology, and increased provider capacity in underserved areas across the state. Implementation begins in fiscal year 2027. This represents a significant federal investment in Mississippi's rural health infrastructure, particularly relevant for managed care plans and providers serving Medicaid beneficiaries in rural counties where access to specialists and technology-enabled care has been limited.
Governor Tate Reeves announced $104 million in awards to 167 Mississippi healthcare providers for facility improvements, technology upgrades, and service expansion under the federal Rural Health Transformation Program. The state received nearly $206 million in December 2025 from the $50 billion national program designed to offset federal spending cuts' impact on rural hospitals. Recipients have until July 2027 to use the funds. Additional grant programs totaling over $30 million for workforce development and crisis mental health infrastructure will be awarded within 45 days.
Delta Health Alliance opened the Delta Cares Center in Leland, Mississippi on September 3, 2026, expanding access to dental and rehabilitative therapy services for uninsured, underinsured, and Medicaid patients in the Mississippi Delta. The $10 million USDA-funded facility will serve up to 500 rehabilitative therapy patients and 2,000 dental patients in its first year, using a sliding-scale fee structure starting at $3 and offering free transportation. The center addresses critical access gaps in a region with some of the worst health outcomes in the nation, where residents have historically faced long wait times and limited preventive care options.
12 active waivers tracked for Mississippi. Available with Pro.
See them with Pro1 active solicitations tracked for Mississippi. Available with Pro.
See them with Pro106 managed care contracts tracked for Mississippi. Available with Pro.
See them with Pro72 bills tracked for Mississippi. Available with Pro.
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