Stand up for Mississippi kids by contacting your state legislators to support the Medicaid Tech bill (SB 2386).
The Medicaid Tech bill (SB 2386) recently failed to be signed into law in the state of Mississippi. This bill would allow Le Bonheur to once again receive a special payment for caring for Mississippi patients covered by Medicaid. At Le Bonheur, we provide expert care for Mississippi kids suffering from a range of diseases from brain tumors to congenital heart disease. We are committed to our mission of serving all children who need us.
Le Bonheur is the second largest provider of care for Mississippi children after UMMC/Children’s of Mississippi, and we serve more Medicaid patients than almost 80% of the hospitals in Mississippi. Each year, Le Bonheur averages more than 30,000 visits with Mississippi children. In 2023, 17,141 visits were from children enrolled in MS Medicaid or uninsured from 70 counties.
We need your voice to help bring the Medicaid Tech bill (SB 2386) into law in the upcoming special session. Please reach out to your local state officials to help find a solution.
How to contact your Mississippi State Legislators
Contact Governor Tate Reeves at 601-359-3150 or email governor@govreeves.ms.gov.
Find your state senator by viewing the map at https://www.legislature.ms.gov/legislators/senate-district-map/ or view the full roster at https://www.legislature.ms.gov/legislators/senate-roster/
Find your state house representative by viewing the map at https://www.legislature.ms.gov/legislators/house-district-map/ or view the full roster at https://www.legislature.ms.gov/legislators/house-roster/
Sample Message You Can Send
Hello, my name is ________ and I am a resident of [CITY/DISTRICT]. I am calling to share my concerns regarding the Medicaid Tech bill with [NAME OF LEGISLATOR]. I want to encourage Senator/Representative [XXX] to vote to support the bill in the upcoming special session of the legislature.
This bill is important to me because it provides funds to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital to continue the care of Mississippi children on Medicaid. Each year, Le Bonheur has more than 30,000 visits from Mississippi children, including 18,000 visits from children enrolled in Mississippi Medicaid or who are uninsured. Mississippi children and providers depend on Le Bonheur to provide expert and complex care that is otherwise not available to kids within our state – from brain tumors to heart conditions. The special payment would not expand Medicaid but provide for current beneficiaries to receive expert care.
Please support the Medicaid Tech bill when it comes up for vote.
Can I count on Senator/Representative [NAME] to support this bill?
Thank you for your time.
Impact of Le Bonheur's Care for Mississippi Kids
Audrey Leonard, Olive Branch, Miss.
Anabelle Krueger, Olive Branch, Miss.
When Anabelle Krueger was 4 months old her parents, Walt and Katie, realized she wasn’t meeting the expected milestones. At that time, the Krueger family lived in California, and Anabelle’s pediatricians told her parents not to worry. But at 6 months old, the little girl wasn’t smiling, had limited head control, and wasn’t rolling over.
Katie and Walt were worried, and they began taking their daughter to see specialists. One by one, they heard “all clear,” and were left facing a dreaded appointment with a neurologist. As they received normal reports from other specialists, the weight of seeing a neurologist felt heavier and heavier because they knew something was wrong, but they hoped it wasn’t a neurological issue. The day of the appointment arrived, and doctors confirmed that Anabelle did have a neurological issue and needed an MRI. While grappling with that confirmation, the Kruegers were dealt another blow when the physician told them he wouldn’t help and wouldn’t schedule an MRI because the family would soon be moving across the country to Mississippi.
Walt is from Memphis and has a longtime friend who works for Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare. His friend understood their feeling of hopelessness and encouraged them to call Le Bonheur. Katie and Walt were overjoyed when Le Bonheur said they’d see Anabelle the next day.
“That was the first time we felt that a weight had been lifted,” said Katie. “Even though we were on a path where we didn’t want to be, we finally felt like there were people to walk alongside us and hold us up.”
The team at Le Bonheur’s world-class Neuroscience Institute discovered that Anabelle was experiencing infantile spasms, which can be extremely dangerous to child development if not controlled. Anabelle’s doctors immediately ordered her hospitalized for an inpatient treatment regimen. A few weeks before her first birthday, Anabelle was diagnosed with epilepsy and began treatment. With the help of Le Bonheur, countless medicines and dietary changes, Anabelle, who is now 9 years old, has been mostly seizure-free since April 2018.
“We couldn’t have done any of this without Le Bonheur,” said Katie. “Every other place turned us away, but Le Bonheur has seen us through every step of the way.”
Will Beeman, Hernando, Miss.
When Christopher and Anna Beeman of Hernando, Miss., welcomed their son Will in November 2017, they were prepared for a journey — one involving multiple procedures to correct his bilateral clubfoot. What they weren’t expecting was a diagnosis that would turn their world upside down. At just two months old, Will was admitted to Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital after persistent jaundice and elevated liver enzymes led to the discovery of biliary atresia, a rare and life-threatening liver disease. The Beemans were thrust into a whirlwind of scans, surgeries, and hard decisions, but Le Bonheur wrapped them in support from the very beginning.
When Will was 6 months old, his condition had worsened to the point of needing a liver transplant. Just 11 days later, the call came: a match had been found and Will received his gift of life. After the transplant, Will spent more than seven weeks in the Intensive Care Unit and during that time, the Beemans leaned heavily on the medical team.
Now, on the smoother side of their journey — albeit with a few bumps and bruises — 7-year-old Will is thriving! He loves to sing and dance, swims, runs, jumps and lights up when talking about dinosaurs and animals. Will continues to receive occupational and speech therapies to support his growth and development. Through it all, Le Bonheur has remained the Beeman family’s anchor — never dismissing their concerns, always validating their instincts and showing up for every stage of their journey.
