Medical Billing Services in Mississippi.
Mississippi’s healthcare landscape is defined by high chronic disease burdens, one of the nation’s lowest rates of insurance coverage (Mississippi has not expanded Medicaid under the ACA), and a managed care program—MississippiCAN—covering nearly three-quarters of the state’s 600,000+ Medicaid beneficiaries. In 2024, Mississippi awarded new 4-year MCO contracts with a notable change: UnitedHealthcare was replaced by new entrant TrueCare (Mississippi True), alongside incumbents Magnolia Health and Molina Healthcare. Happy Billing helps Mississippi providers navigate this contract transition, credential with all three new MCOs, and maximize recovery across both managed care and fee-for-service populations.
Mississippi Medicaid Billing
Total Mississippi Medicaid/CHIP enrollment was approximately 602,825 as of October 2024, including 518,360 Medicaid and 84,465 CHIP enrollees. Mississippi is one of 10 states that had not expanded Medicaid as of early 2025—multiple expansion bills advanced in 2024 but died before reconciliation. As a result, Mississippi’s Medicaid population skews toward children, pregnant women, and people with disabilities—with no coverage for low-income childless adults. Medicaid enrollment has declined from pre-ACA levels, unlike the national trend of 38% growth since 2013.
MississippiCAN — Mississippi Coordinated Access Network
MississippiCAN is Mississippi’s statewide managed care program, launched in 2011, covering most Medicaid beneficiaries statewide. Nearly three-quarters of Mississippi’s ~654,000 Medicaid recipients were enrolled in MississippiCAN as of July 2024. Mandatory enrollment covers most low-income children, pregnant women, families, and individuals with disabilities; foster care children and certain other populations are also included.
MississippiCAN MCOs — New Contracts Effective July 1, 2025
After a two-year contract stalemate, Mississippi Medicaid awarded new 4-year contracts in August 2024. The new contracts went live July 1, 2025, with a special open enrollment period March–June 2025 allowing members to choose among the new plans:
Magnolia Health (Centene subsidiary): Incumbent; one of two original MississippiCAN plans; largest managed care footprint in Mississippi
Molina Healthcare of Mississippi: Incumbent; national Medicaid managed care operator; held 4-year contract through August 2028
TrueCare (Mississippi True): New entrant replacing UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, which exited June 30, 2025 after failing to win re-contract; TrueCare launched July 1, 2025
MississippiCAN Excluded and FFS Populations
The following Mississippi Medicaid populations are excluded from MississippiCAN and receive services fee-for-service:
Medicare-Medicaid dual eligible individuals (most services coordinated through Medicare)
American Indian/Alaska Native members (may opt in voluntarily)
Certain CHIP members under separate arrangements
Long-term care (nursing facility) residents receive some services FFS
Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) waiver participants for HCBS services
Key Billing Facts for Mississippi Providers
UnitedHealthcare exit: Providers contracted with UHC must re-credential with TrueCare (new entrant effective July 1, 2025); failure to re-credential cuts off access to transitioned members
Verify plan enrollment at every visit—members are transitioning between old and new plans through mid-2025
MississippiCAN claims route to each MCO separately; FFS claims go to Mississippi Division of Medicaid (DOM) directly
Mississippi Medicaid helpline: 1-800-421-2408; enrollment verification: medicaid.ms.gov
Timely filing: 12 months from date of service for FFS; MCO contracts set individual timely filing windows (typically 180–365 days)
Provider enrollment: All providers serving MississippiCAN members must enroll with Mississippi Medicaid AND credential with each MCO
Mississippi's Major Health Systems
University of Mississippi Medical Center (UMMC)
Mississippi’s only academic medical center, UMMC Health serves as the state’s safety-net and referral hub with NPR of $1.1 billion—highest in Mississippi. University Hospital (Jackson, 722 beds) is the state’s largest hospital and houses the only Level I Trauma Center in Mississippi; the only Level IV NICU in the state (at Children’s of Mississippi); and the only transplant center in Mississippi. UMMC also encompasses Children’s of Mississippi (the state’s only children’s hospital), the Wallace Conerly Critical Care Hospital, and Wiser Hospital for Women and Infants. UMMC is the primary teaching institution for Mississippi’s healthcare workforce and a critical partner for Medicaid patients across the state.
North Mississippi Health Services (NMHS)
Tupelo-based NMHS is the second-largest health system in Mississippi with NPR of $968 million and eight affiliated hospitals. The flagship North Mississippi Medical Center (640 beds) is the largest non-metropolitan hospital in the United States and serves as the sole trauma center for its service area in northeastern Mississippi and northwestern Alabama. NMHS operates over 50 clinics and serves a largely rural, underinsured population across 22 counties. NMHS is a key MississippiCAN network provider in northern Mississippi.
Memorial Health System (Gulfport)
Serving the Mississippi Gulf Coast since 1946, Memorial Health System is a not-for-profit medical complex jointly owned by the City of Gulfport and Harrison County with NPR of $708 million. Memorial includes two hospitals licensed for 328 beds, a state-designated Level II Trauma Center, Mississippi’s first nationally-certified Primary Stroke Center, and the Coast’s only Level III Neonatal ICU. The system operates four outpatient surgery centers, two nursing centers, and 100+ Memorial Physician Clinics across the Gulf Coast region.
Baptist Memorial Health Care
Memphis-based Baptist Memorial operates a significant Mississippi network, including the Mississippi Baptist Medical Center in Jackson (638 beds, 21,000+ admissions annually) and Baptist Memorial Hospital–DeSoto (339 beds, Southaven). Baptist Memorial Hospital–Golden Triangle (Columbus) is one of the largest hospitals in northeast Mississippi. Baptist’s Mississippi hospitals collectively represent a substantial privately managed healthcare presence and are key commercial and Medicaid network partners.
Why Mississippi Practices Choose Happy Billing
Mississippi’s 2024–2025 MCO contract transition is the most significant billing disruption in the state’s managed care history. The exit of UnitedHealthcare—which had served MississippiCAN for years—and the entry of TrueCare (effective July 1, 2025) requires every Mississippi provider to re-credential with the new MCO, re-establish prior authorization protocols, and manage claim submission routing to a new payer system. Simultaneously, members who chose new plans during the March–June 2025 open enrollment period may have shifted between Magnolia, Molina, and TrueCare—complicating eligibility verification at every visit. Add to this Mississippi’s high Medicaid dependency rate (no expansion, high chronic disease burden, significant uninsured population) and you have a revenue cycle environment where expert billing management is essential.
MississippiCAN billing for all three MCOs: Magnolia Health, Molina Healthcare, TrueCare (new entrant 2025)
UnitedHealthcare-to-TrueCare transition management and re-credentialing
Mississippi Medicaid FFS billing for excluded populations
UMMC, North Mississippi Health Services, and Memorial Health network management
Rural health clinic and Critical Access Hospital billing for Mississippi’s underserved communities
Is your Mississippi practice leaving revenue on the table?
Specialties We Serve in Mississippi
Each specialty page dives into the specific billing challenges and our approach. Visit our Specialties to explore the one most relevant to your practice.
Mississippi Medical Billing FAQs
What happened to UnitedHealthcare in MississippiCAN?
UnitedHealthcare Community Plan (UHCCP) was not selected for Mississippi Medicaid’s new 4-year MCO contracts (August 2024 – August 2028). UHCCP continued providing MississippiCAN services through emergency one-year contracts during 2024, but its participation ended June 30, 2025. Starting July 1, 2025, UnitedHealthcare’s MississippiCAN members transitioned to Magnolia Health, Molina Healthcare, or new entrant TrueCare (Mississippi True). Providers who were contracted only with UHCCP must re-credential with TrueCare and the other MCOs to maintain access to these members.