Mississippi Insurance Department
The Mississippi Insurance Department is responsible for regulating all types of insurance sold in the state of Mississippi, including health insurance policies.
If you are looking for health insurance coverage, the Insurance Department can help you find an insurance agent or insurance company that is licensed to do business in Mississippi. You can contact them at the phone number listed below, or conduct your own search online.
If you are having trouble resolving a claims dispute with your insurer, you can file a complaint with the Insurance Department. You can find instructions for filing a complaint online, as well as a complaint form.
Mississippi Insurance Department
1001 Woolfolk State Office Building
501 North West St
Jackson, MS 39201
U.S. Department of Labor
If you get your insurance through your job, your plan is also regulated by the U.S. Department of Labor's Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA). They make and enforce the rules that your employer must follow when offering health insurance coverage to employees. For example, your employer cannot single out an individual employee to exclude her from the plan because she (or one of her dependents) has a costly illness. Also, if there are 20 or more employees at your job, you should be offered COBRA continuation coverage when you leave your job. The EBSA works to make sure that all of this happens and your rights are protected.
If you have concerns about your employer's practices in administering your job-based health coverage - for example, if you think you should have been offered COBRA continuation coverage, but were not, or if you feel that you were wrongly terminated from your health plan - contact your regional EBSA office.
U.S. Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration
Atlanta Regional Office
61 Forsyth Street, SW, Suite 7B54
Atlanta, GA 30303
Howard Marsh - Director
Tel 404.302.3900
Fax 404.302.3975
http://www.dol.gov/ebsa/
Buying Individual Policies in Mississippi
As a general rule, insurers in Mississippi are allowed to reject your application for coverage based on your health status. However, you may qualify for coverage as a "HIPAA-eligible" individual if you:
- had at least 18 months of continuous creditable coverage, the last day of which was under a group plan AND
- you have exhausted all COBRA continuation coverage which was available to you.
People who are HIPAA-eligible are guaranteed the right to buy insurance through the Mississippi Comprehensive Health Insurance Risk Pool Association (described below). If you are not sure whether you are a HIPAA-eligible individual, your insurance agent or the Insurance Department can help you find out.
Mississippi Comprehensive Health Insurance Risk Pool Association (MCHIRPA)
MCHIRPA offers coverage to individuals who are unable to purchase an individual health insurance policy because they have pre-existing health conditions. It also covers "HIPAA-eligible" individuals as described above. The MCHIRPA site has information on their eligibility requirements, as well as current premium rates and benefit packages.
Mississippi Comprehensive Health Insurance Risk Pool Association
P. O. Box 13748
Jackson, MS 39236
Phone: 601.899.9967 OR 888.820.9400
CHIP - the Mississippi State Children's Health Insurance Program
CHIP provides health insurance coverage for children under age 19 whose family meets certain income requirements.
Mississippi CHIP
Phone: 1-877-KIDS-NOW
Mississippi Insurance Counseling and Assistance Program (MICAP)
MICAP provides free one-on-one counseling for Medicare beneficiaries with questions about any aspect of Medicare, including the Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit, or Medigap coverage.
MICAP
Division of Aging and Adult Services
750 North State Street
Jackson, MS 39202
Phone: 800.948.3090
http://www.mdhs.state.ms.us/aas_info.html#MICAP
Mississippi Medicaid
Medicaid is a government program designed to help the poor and indigent obtain health care services. Pregnant women and children under age 19 who meet certain income requirements may be eligible for Medicaid coverage, along with the aged, blind, and disabled individuals. For more information about Mississippi Medicaid, including eligibility requirements, contact the Mississippi Division of Medicaid at the number listed below.
Mississippi Division of Medicaid
Sillers Building
550 High Street Suite 1000
Jackson, MS 39201-1399
Phone: 601.359.6050 OR 1.800.421.2408
http://www.dom.state.ms.us/
