JACKSON, Miss. – On Wednesday, March 15th, Governor Tate Reeves vetoed SB 2224 and SB 2622.

Governor Reeves made the following statement about the vetoes:

“Today, I vetoed two bills that had the potential to seriously increase the cost of health care in Mississippi. One is a bad idea, and I can’t see myself supporting it. One is a good idea that just includes some correctable mistakes. Here’s what they do:

“The first one would basically give the Insurance Commission the ability to set rates for all health insurance. They can massively fine private insurance if they aren’t “equitable” enough. It’s not what you expect in Mississippi, but that’s why we read every bill closely! There’s also a bill to reform a process known as Prior Authorization. That’s how insurance companies inform providers whether a procedure or drug is covered. This bill would force insurance companies to give an answer more quickly, which is positive. However, it also had some unintended consequences.

“The bill has a number of technical components. These include administrative hearings that are in an incorrect place, increased costs for Medicaid, and other issues that cause me not to be comfortable signing it. But I am hopeful that we can get a better bill done soon. We’re closely reviewing every bill because that’s what you hired me to do. 76 bills this week—just 2 vetoes! Good folks can sometimes let bad things past the goalie, and we’re the last stop before disastrous consequences like massively increased healthcare costs.”