SB2567 • 2026

Mississippi Pediatric Access To Critical Health Care Protection Act; enact.

AN ACT TO ENACT THE MISSISSIPPI PEDIATRIC ACCESS TO CRITICAL HEALTH CARE PROTECTION ACT; TO REQUIRE THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID TO MAKE PAYMENTS TO A BORDER CITY UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED PEDIATRIC TEACHING HOSPITAL IF THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES (CMS) APPROVE AN INCREASE IN THE ANNUAL REQUEST FOR THE PROVIDER PAYMENT INITIATIVE AUTHORIZED UNDER 42 CFR � 438.6(C) OR ANOTHER MEDICAID STATUTE OR REGULATION IN AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN THE ESTIMATED ANNUAL PAYMENT TO BE MADE TO THE BORDER CITY UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED PEDIATRIC TEACHING HOSPITAL; TO PROVIDE THAT NO PAYMENTS SHALL BE MADE UNDER THIS ACT UNTIL AFTER THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID HAS RECEIVED THE AMOUNT OF THE NON-FEDERAL SHARE OF SUCH PAYMENTS FROM A PUBLIC ENTITY CAPABLE OF FURNISHING AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL TRANSFER; TO PROVIDE THAT THE INTENT OF THE LEGISLATURE IS THAT THE COST OF PROVIDING SERVICES TO MISSISSIPPI MEDICAID BENEFICIARIES UNDER THE AGE OF TWENTY-ONE YEARS WHO ARE TREATED BY A BORDER CITY UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED PEDIATRIC TEACHING HOSPITAL SHALL NOT EXCEED THE COST OF PROVIDING THE SAME SERVICES TO INDIVIDUALS IN HOSPITALS IN THE STATE, AND THAT SUCH PAYMENTS SHALL NOT RESULT IN ANY IN-STATE HOSPITAL RECEIVING PAYMENTS LOWER THAN THEY WOULD OTHERWISE RECEIVE IF NOT FOR THE PAYMENTS MADE TO ANY BORDER CITY UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED PEDIATRIC TEACHING HOSPITAL; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.

Healthcare

Enacted

This bill passed the Legislature and reached final enactment based on the latest official action.

Sponsor: Blackwell
Last action: 2026-03-25
Official status: Law
Effective date: July 1, 20

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

Mississippi Law for Kids' Hospital Care

This law allows Medicaid to pay out-of-state hospitals near Mississippi's border if the federal government approves a payment increase and local governments provide matching funds.

What This Bill Does

Creates the 'Mississippi Pediatric Access to Critical Health Care Protection Act'.
Requires Medicaid to make payments to specific out-of-state hospitals if CMS approves an increase in annual provider payment requests.
Specifies that no payments can be made until local governments provide matching funds as required by federal rules.

Who It Names or Affects

Mississippi Medicaid beneficiaries under age 21 who need pediatric care.
Out-of-state hospitals near Mississippi's eastern border that meet specific criteria.
Local governments in Mississippi responsible for providing matching funds.

Terms To Know

Border City University-Affiliated Pediatric Teaching Hospital: An out-of-state hospital located within a city bordering the eastern bank of the Mississippi River, affiliated with an accredited university and meeting certain pediatric care standards.
Intergovernmental Transfer: Money transferred between different levels of government to support public services or projects.

Limits and Unknowns

The law only applies if CMS approves an increase in annual provider payment requests.
Local governments must provide matching funds for the payments to be made.
The act will automatically end on July 1, 2027.

Bill History

2026-03-25 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
03/25 Approved by Governor
2026-03-18 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
03/18 (H) Enrolled Bill Signed
2026-03-18 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
03/18 (S) Enrolled Bill Signed
2026-03-13 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
03/13 (S) Concurred in Amend From House
2026-03-12 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
03/12 (H) Returned For Concurrence
2026-03-11 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
03/11 (H) Passed As Amended
2026-03-11 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
03/11 (H) Amended
2026-03-03 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
03/03 (H) Title Suff Do Pass As Amended
2026-02-16 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
02/16 (H) Referred To Medicaid
2026-02-06 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
02/06 (S) Transmitted To House
2026-02-05 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
02/05 (S) Immediate Release
2026-02-05 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
02/05 (S) Passed As Amended
2026-02-05 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
02/05 (S) Amended
2026-01-29 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
01/29 (S) Title Suff Do Pass
2026-01-19 Mississippi Legislative Bill Status System
01/19 (S) Referred To Medicaid

Official Summary Text

Mississippi Pediatric Access To Critical Health Care Protection Act; enact.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

S. B. No. 2567 *SS08/R1167SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/SS08/R1167SG
PAGE 1

To: Medicaid
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Senator(s) Blackwell

SENATE BILL NO. 2567
(As Sent to Governor)

AN ACT TO ENACT THE MISSISSIPPI PEDIATRIC ACCESS TO CRITICAL 1
HEALTH CARE PROTECTION ACT; TO REQUIRE THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID TO 2
MAKE PAYMENTS TO A BORDER CITY UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED PEDIATRIC 3
TEACHING HOSPITAL IF THE CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID 4
SERVICES (CMS) APPROVE AN INCREASE IN THE ANNUAL REQUEST FOR THE 5
PROVIDER PAYMENT INITIATIVE AUTHORIZED UNDER 42 CFR § 438.6(C) OR 6
ANOTHER MEDICAID STATUTE OR REGULATION IN AN AMOUNT EQUAL TO OR 7
GREATER THAN THE ESTIMATED ANNUAL PAYMENT TO BE MADE TO THE BORDER 8
CITY UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED PEDIATRIC TEACHING HOSPITAL; TO PROVIDE 9
THAT NO PAYMENTS SHALL BE MADE UNDER THIS ACT UNTIL AFTER THE 10
DIVISION OF MEDICAID HAS RECEIVED THE AMOUNT OF THE NON-FEDERAL 11
SHARE OF SUCH PAYMENTS FROM A PUBLIC ENTITY CAPABLE OF FURNISHING 12
AN INTERGOVERNMENTAL TRANSFER; TO PROVIDE THAT THE INTENT OF THE 13
LEGISLATURE IS THAT THE COST OF PROVIDING SERVICES TO MISSISSIPPI 14
MEDICAID BENEFICIARIES UNDER THE AGE OF TWENTY-ONE YEARS WHO ARE 15
TREATED BY A BORDER CITY UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED PEDIATRIC TEACHING 16
HOSPITAL SHALL NOT EXCEED THE COST OF PROVIDING THE SAME SERVICES 17
TO INDIVIDUALS IN HOSPITALS IN THE STATE, AND THAT SUCH PAYMENTS 18
SHALL NOT RESULT IN ANY IN-STATE HOSPITAL RECEIVING PAYMENTS LOWER 19
THAN THEY WOULD OTHERWISE RECEIVE IF NOT FOR THE PAYMENTS MADE TO 20
ANY BORDER CITY UNIVERSITY-AFFILIATED PEDIATRIC TEACHING HOSPITAL; 21
AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 22
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 23
SECTION 1. (1) This section shall be known and may be cited 24
as the "Mississippi Pediatric Access to Critical Health Care 25
Protection Act." 26
S. B. No. 2567 *SS08/R1167SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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PAGE 2

(2) The purpose of this section is to promote quality health 27
care and to ensure Mississippi children have access to pediatric 28
inpatient hospital care. 29
(3) For the purposes of this section, the term "border city 30
university-affiliated pediatric teaching hospital" means an 31
out-of-state hospital located within a city bordering the eastern 32
bank of the Mississippi River and the State of Mississippi that 33
submits to the division a copy of a current and effective 34
affiliation agreement with an accredited university and other 35
documentation establishing that the hospital is 36
university-affiliated, is licensed and designated as a pediatric 37
hospital or pediatric primary hospital within its home state, 38
maintains at least five (5) different pediatric specialty training 39
programs and maintains at least one hundred (100) operated beds 40
dedicated exclusively for the treatment of patients under the age 41
of twenty-one (21) years. 42
(4) (a) To align with other similar payments and address 43
access to care needs, the Division of Medicaid shall, if the 44
requirements of paragraph (b) of this subsection (4) have been 45
met, make payments to a border city university-affiliated 46
pediatric teaching hospital if the Centers for Medicare and 47
Medicaid Services (CMS) approve an increase in the annual request 48
for the provider payment initiative authorized under 42 CFR 49
Section 438.6(c) or another Medicaid statute or regulation in an 50
amount equal to or greater than the estimated annual payment to be 51
S. B. No. 2567 *SS08/R1167SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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made to the border city university-affiliated pediatric teaching 52
hospital. The estimate shall be based on the hospital's prior 53
year Mississippi managed care utilization. 54
(b) No payments shall be made under paragraph (a) of 55
this subsection (4) until after the Division of Medicaid has 56
received the amount of the non-federal share of such payments from 57
a public entity capable of furnishing an intergovernmental 58
transfer, including, but not limited to, a state institution of 59
higher learning, public community college, local government, or 60
instrumentality of local government, provided that any funds 61
received by a public entity from the border city 62
university-affiliated pediatric teaching hospital must be bona 63
fide donations as provided in 42 CFR Section 433.54. 64
(5) It is the intent of the Legislature that the cost of 65
providing services to Mississippi Medicaid beneficiaries under the 66
age of twenty-one (21) years who are treated by a border city 67
university-affiliated pediatric teaching hospital shall not exceed 68
the cost of providing the same services to individuals in 69
hospitals in the state. Further, it is the intent of the 70
Legislature that payments shall not result in any in-state 71
hospital receiving payments lower than they would otherwise 72
receive if not for the payments made to any border city 73
university-affiliated pediatric teaching hospital. 74
(6) This section shall stand repealed on July 1, 2027. 75
S. B. No. 2567 *SS08/R1167SG* ~ OFFICIAL ~
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ST: Mississippi Pediatric Access To Critical
Health Care Protection Act; enact.
SECTION 2. This act shall take effect and be in force from 76
and after July 1, 2026. 77