Dozens gather in the lobby at Hattiesburg Clinic's Plastic Surgery Center in support of Bill Waller, Jr. as Robert Foster makes an official endorsement of Waller for governor.
Former Mississippi Chief Justice William Waller Jr. continued his endorsement victory tour in Hattiesburg on Tuesday, as state Rep. Robert Foster – the third-place finisher in the GOP Primary race for governor – endorsed Waller in his runoff with Lt. Gov. Tate Reeves on Aug. 27.
As he stood surrounded by medical personnel in the Hattiesburg Clinic Plastic Surgery Center’s front lobby, Waller gladly accepted Foster’s endorsement and focused his rhetoric on Medicaid reform. He said he would follow the example of former Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the current Vice President.
“What is at risk here is we have 31 rural hospitals in danger of closing, so I want all of the solutions,” Waller told the crowded lobby’s audience. “The best way is what Mike Pence did in five years in Indiana to help our rural hospitals."
Bill Waller, Jr. said Tuesday that he would appoint task force committees with blue-ribbon panels to study and recommend a course of action on healthcare, education, infrastructure and the state's tax structure, indicating that his administration would be seeking solutions instead of politics as usual.
"If Poplarville closes," he added, "that means we’ve got people driving from far distances to come here. They’ll be in worse shape and put a burden on this community when we don’t have to have it. We have got to have a healthy rural hospital system to support this great medical center here (Hattiesburg).”
Mississippi has not expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, although the state medical association supported expansion in August 2016, hoping to push lawmakers toward expanding coverage.
If Mississippi did expand Medicaid, FamiliesUSA – a nonprofit, nonpartisan health advocacy organization – estimates that 200,000 people would be newly eligible for coverage.
Waller said Pence’s reform would work in Mississippi.
“Thirty-six states have crossed the line; we can do it without tax money,” he said. “We can do it in a conservative way. We want to reform Medicaid. Mississippi is already one of the largest consumers of Medicaid. We want to reform it; we want Medicaid to be so that if you can work and be part of the workforce, you can have coverage. We don’t need to discourage people from work; we need to encourage people to work.”
In his endorsement, Foster said Medicaid reform is important.
“There is an issue in Mississippi with a lot of people who work and pay taxes, but they are unable to afford health insurance,” he said. “It’s not the fault of Mississippi; it’s the federal government’s fault for making the system that we have to work a very flawed system.”
Foster said he endorsed Waller because of his conviction.
“Over the last eight months, I have come to know Justice Waller very well, and I believe he is a man of his word who will keep his promise,” he said. “He will do what is in the best interest of the people of Mississippi, not special interests in Jackson. I have put my full endorsement behind Justice Waller.”