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Health Insurance

You probably do not plan on you or someone in your family getting sick or hurt, but it happens and it costs.  Health insurance can protect you from potentially large expenses.  In fact, two thirds of personal bankruptcies are due to medical costs.

Aside from the cost, people without health insurance are less likely to seek and receive preventive care, recommended screenings, and help in managing chronic diseases like diabetes and high blood pressure.  When they do seek help it is usually after they have been sick for awhile – when it is harder to regain health and more costly.

As a result of the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, a Marketplace for purchasing health insurance has been established.  The Marketplace may be able to reduce the cost of insurance for you and your family.  If you are not insured you may have to pay a fee if you do not get insurance.

Close to a half million Mississippians remain uninsured.  Most do not know that the law might give them financial help to assist with the cost.  Health insurance does not guarantee good health, but it certainly sets the stage for maintaining and improving health.  It can also reduce the stress of financial pressures that can arise if illness or accidents strike.

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Publications

Publication Number: P3782
Publication Number: P3784
Publication Number: IS1781

News

Jars of home canned pickled vegetables
Filed Under: Food, Food Safety, Health May 20, 2025

Are you planning to can fruits and vegetables this year? Don’t just wing it. Planning and preparation are important first steps.

A woman puts nonperishable food on pantry shelves.
Filed Under: Food and Health, Health, AIM for CHangE May 16, 2025

MISSISSIPPI STATE, Miss. -- A pilot program designed to increase food pantries’ capacity to provide health-related foods and services recently completed its initial classes.

A woman stands at the kitchen sink.
Filed Under: Health and Wellness, Food and Health, Health, Nutrition and Wellness May 14, 2025

Handwashing can help prevent you and others from getting sick, but be sure you are washing the right way!

Success Stories

A man wearing a suit stands beside a desk with a banner listing “Welcome to the Tunica Health & Wellness Hub.”
Volume 10 Number 1

You don’t have to have diabetes to benefit from the principles of the Dining with Diabetes (DWD) program.

Three women standing in front of a MyPlate banner.
Volume 10 Number 1

Dining with Diabetes covers healthy eating, physical activity, disease monitoring, medication compliance, and risk reduction, and the course empowers participants by giving them access to nutrition knowledge and resources for food preparation. Classes include research-based education, cooking demonstrations, and healthy recipe tasting. These tools can help people make positive changes by planning menus, counting carbohydrates, controlling portions, and reading labels.

A woman, wearing a red T-shirt listing Rosemary’s Daycare on it, smiles while sitting on a bench with many small children sitting beside her, also smiling.
Volume 9 Number 3

The StoryWalk and colorful word art now installed in downtown Belzoni are giving Rosemary Williams a new opportunity for the children she cares for at Rosemary’s Daycare and Learning Center.

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Portrait of Ms. Qula Madkin
Extension Instructor