JACKSON, Miss. (WJTV) – Calls for addressing Mississippi’s healthcare coverage gap filled the State Capitol Thursday afternoon.

Care4MS urged lawmakers to pass legislation that would close the gap and offer healthcare for more than 200,000 Mississippians.

Mississippians who fall into the coverage gap are those who make too much money to qualify for Medicaid but not enough to pay for private health insurance.

Lakeisha Preston is part of the coverage gap. She has a full time job, an associate degree and is currently working on her bachelor’s degree.

In 2019, Preston was hospitalized for two weeks with a case of pneumonia. She had to pay out of pocket for her treatments because she could not afford the premiums offered through her employer’s health insurance.

“Four years later, I am still paying those medical debts,” she said.

Preston’s seven-year-old son, who has ADHD, is covered through Medicaid, but she makes too much money herself to qualify for government assistance.

“While I was pregnant, it was hard. It was hard then, and it’s hard now. The high deductibles, the medication. I’m still doing the most now,” she said.

When it comes to the health of Preston and her son, there’s oftentimes more questions than answers.

“You’re looking at doctor visits. You’re looking at trying to make sure everything will be covered, or at least able to make it there. So, you’re thinking about gas money. You’re thinking about lunch. You’re thinking about the medicine,” Preston stated.

A total of eight bills have been filed this Legislative Session that would expand or modify Medicaid and shorten the coverage gap.

One plan in the House, authored by Minority Leader Rep. Robert Johnson (D-District 94), and one worked on by Lt Governor Delbert Hosemann (R-Miss.) in the Senate are being considered in both chambers. There are differences in both plans, but both would allow higher salaries to receive coverage.

“I’m hoping it will pass as soon as possible. There are so many consumers that are not within or able to get that assistance,” said Preston.

If one of those bills passed both chambers and ended up on the governor’s desk, the chances are slim that Gov. Tate Reeves (R-Miss.) would sign it into law. In a post published on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Tuesday, Reeves echoed former President Donald Trump’s sentiments that said in part, “Obamacare sucks.”

If Reeves did veto a bill passed by the Legislature, lawmakers could override his veto with a two-thirds vote in both chambers.