Magnolia Tribune
Magnolia Mornings: April 23, 2026
Important state and national stories, market and business news, sports and entertainment, delivered in quick-hit fashion to start your day informed.
By Magnolia Tribune
In Mississippi
1. Hyde-Smith, Kennedy discuss need for Medicare fix to aid rural hospitals
Mississippi U.S. Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith and Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr., agreed this week that it will take both Congress and the administration to fix a Medicare reimbursement formula that is destabilizing hospitals and rural healthcare in low-wage states like Mississippi.
Hyde-Smith questioned Kennedy about the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Service (CMS) Area Wage Index (AWI) during a Senate Labor, HHS, and Education Appropriations Subcommittee hearing to review the HHS FY2027 budget request.
“AWI disadvantages rural hospitals, because they are locking them into a system that suppresses reimbursement and limits their ability to recruit and retain medical staff and specialists,” Hyde-Smith said. “Hospitals like Forrest General, a Level 2 trauma center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, are expected to deliver complex, specialist-driven care but are reimbursed as if costs are low – absorbing an $8 million annual loss due to this disparity. Obviously, that gap is just unsustainable. If this continues, it won’t just affect one hospital. It will weaken the entire 19-county rural network serving roughly 700,000 Mississippians.”
In response, Kennedy concurred that the current AWI formula disadvantages hospitals in low-wage states like Mississippi and indicated the administration is willing to work with Congress to find a budget-neutral solution to provide relief to states with low AWIs.
2. UMMC announces drug take-back day
The University of Mississippi Medical Center Department of Anesthesia and the UMMC Anesthesiology Interest Group are partnering with local law enforcement agencies to offer community members a safe, convenient and responsible way to dispose of unused or expired medications during a prescription drug take-back event Saturday, April 25.
In coordination with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency’s National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, UMMC said Wednesday that the event aims to help prevent medication misuse, reduce the risk of accidental overdose and protect the environment.
Those wishing to participate can bring medications for disposal from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at one of three locations:
• Brandon Police Department — 1455 W Government St, Brandon, MS 39042
• Madison Police Department — 2001 Main Street, Madison, MS 39130
• Ridgeland Police Department — 115 W School St, Ridgeland, MS 39157