Medicaid; authorize payments to a border city university-affiliated teaching hospital under certain conditions.

HB 1379, titled the "Mississippi Pediatric Access to Critical Health Care Protection Act," would authorize Mississippi Medicaid to make payments to a specific type of out-of-state pediatric hospital located on the Mississippi River border. The hospital must be university-affiliated, provide pediatric care exclusively for patients under 21 (with five specialty programs and 100+ beds), and qualify under federal CMS approval for increased funding. Payments would only occur if CMS approves a federal funding increase equal to the hospital's estimated annual cost, ensuring costs for Mississippi Medicaid beneficiaries under 21 do not exceed in-state hospital costs. The bill died in committee on February 3, 2026, and was never enacted.