Mississippi hospitals could be affected by loss of Medicaid funding, report suggests
Correction: Previous versions of this story incorrectly stated the full risk hospitals could face from Medicaid funding cuts.
Medicaid funding cuts could affect some Mississippi hospitals, including one on the Coast, according to a March report by consumer advocacy group Public Citizen.
The findings come from data from 4,468 hospitals between 2022 and 2024 and uses information obtained from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services provided by the National Academy for State Health Policy’s Hospital Cost Tool.
The report analyzed the impact of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act on hospitals across the country, finding 446 hospitals at risk of closing or reducing services due to Medicaid cuts.
The cuts will reduce federal Medicaid spending by about $911 billion and increase the number of uninsured people by 10 million, according to a KFF analysis.
Here’s how the legislation will impact Mississippi hospitals.
Coast hospital identified
The data suggests Memorial Hospital Biloxi could be affected. The hospital was part of a 2025 acquisition by Memorial Health systems, but its 2022-24 numbers fit the criteria for at-risk hospitals.
Hospitals were considered at-risk if they had the following, according to the analysis which used data from 2022 to 2024:
1. At least 20% of patients are on Medicaid, SCHIP, and Low Income Government Program
2. The hospital has negative net profit margins
The findings from the Public Citizen research only examine 2022 to 2024 and does not include data from 2025, which was unavailable at the time of publishing.
“The information cited is based on data collected prior to Memorial Health System assuming ownership from Merit Health Biloxi in February 2025,” Kristian Spear, Memorial Health Biloxi administrator said. “The publication did not take into account this transition, nor did it verify the hospital’s current operations, performance, or financial trajectory under new leadership.”
Spear added: “Under Memorial’s leadership, operational improvements have resulted in positive financial performance. The narrative that this facility is at risk of closing is not aligned with its current reality. Today, Memorial Hospital Biloxi is stable, growing, and continuing to expand services to meet the needs of the community it serves.”
What other MS hospitals are at risk?
These six Mississippi hospitals are at risk, according to the Public Citizen report:
- Biloxi Regional Medical Center, renamed Memorial Hospital Biloxi in 2025
- Central Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson
- Baptist Medical Center in Yazoo
- Bolivar Medical Center in Cleveland
- Northwest Regional Medical Center in Clarksdale
- Monroe Regional Hospital in Aberdeen
Which states had the highest number of at-risk hospitals?
These are the top three states with hospitals at risk, according to the analysis:
1. California, 83 hospitals
2. New York, 45 hospitals
3. Illinois, 28 hospitals
How did consumer advocacy group find at-risk hospitals?
Public Citizen’s list of at-risk hospitals came from an analysis of 2022 through 2024 data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services which includes 4,468 hospitals nationwide, analysts said.
Where the data come from:
- Medicare/Medicaid cost reports (2022–2024) through the National Academy for State Health Policy’s Hospital Cost Tool
- 4,468 hospitals
What hospitals are included:
- Short-term general and specialty hospitals
- Critical Access Hospitals
- Not included: psychiatric, children’s, long-term care, or rehab hospitals
How “high risk” is defined:
- At least 20% of its patients are on Medicaid, SCHIP, or low-income government programs
- It ran a negative profit margin, on average, across 2022–2024
How community data was used:
- Neighborhood demographics pulled from U.S. Census Bureau (2023)
- Mapped communities each hospital serves using Medicare patient ZIP codes
- Census data weighted by how many Medicare patients came from each ZIP code
This story was originally published April 17, 2026 at 5:00 AM.
