The cost of prescription medication continues to spiral, taxing all of us, especially those caught in the squeeze of the middle class. While pharmaceutical advertising budgets grow, our ability to afford the high-cost of medicine slips away. Mississippi's package of health benefits for state employees may be better than some states across our nation, but it's not good enough. Both the Governor's budget and the Legislature's budget place a high priority on the state employees health insurance plan. As with private plans, deductibles continue to increase while coverage seems to shrink every year.
Premiums rise and confidence falls.
We must not use the budget as an excuse to avoid tackling the difficult issues in health care. We may not solve all the problems with health insurance and prescription drug costs quickly, but we can begin with a sound investment in the health insurance we offer our state employees. We have an agenda for opportunity. We have the opportunity to succeed. Opportunity is the state of the state in Mississippi, America's State of Promise.