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JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi legislators are trying to improve the health of new mothers and their babies by allowing women who are enrolled in Medicaid to keep that coverage for up to a year after giving birth — an increase from the current limit of 60 days.

Lawmakers are considering a slew of changes to the state’s Medicaid program that would take effect in July. Medicaid is a health insurance program for the needy, with costs paid by the state and federal governments. Mississippi legislators have to reauthorize the state’s Medicaid program every few years, and they usually consider some changes while they are keeping it alive.

A bill in the Senate would expand postpartum coverage for pregnant women, require Medicaid to reimburse for telehealth services provided by federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics and order the managed care organizations that run Medicaid to implement programs to improve the health of members diagnosed with diabetes, among many other changes.

Senate Bill 2799 would increase Mississippi’s Medicaid spending by about $19 million, said Senate Medicaid Committee Chairman Kevin Blackwell, a Republican from Southaven.

The Mississippi House is also working on its own version of the bill, House Bill 1008. House Medicaid Committee members met Tuesday but did not have a firm estimate of the cost.

During a Senate Medicaid Committee meeting Monday, Blackwell said Mississippi needs to bring down its infant and maternal fatality rates. Mississippi has the highest rate of infant deaths in the country and ranks among the worst for maternal deaths.

“We have to have advances in the health outcomes of our constituents,” Blackwell said.

Blackwell told the committee that increasing postpartum coverage seems like a “no-brainer.” Health care providers requested the change during hearings months ago. Providers said it would reduce application time for pregnant women seeking Medicaid coverage, Blackwell said.

“I’m not sure if you guys know, but currently for a pregnant woman, they are at about 60% way through their gestation period before they can get on Medicaid,” Blackwell said. “That’s just not acceptable.”

The Mississippi Division of Medicaid has temporarily extended coverage to postpartum women who enrolled in Medicaid while pregnant with no time limit, as part of a condition of federal COVID-19 relief funding.

A pregnant mother with no other children is eligible for Medicaid in Mississippi if her monthly income is less than $2,116. About 67% of all births in Mississippi were covered by Medicaid in 2017, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation Medicaid Budget Survey.

The current plan covers prenatal visits and vitamins, ultrasound and amniocentesis screenings, childbirth and 60 days of postpartum care.

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Leah Willingham is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.

MERIDIAN, Miss. (AP) — A burglary suspect armed with a knife was shot and killed by Mississippi police Tuesday following a chase, according to authorities.

Meridian police responded to a neighborhood after a homeowner called 911 to report a burglary in process, Mayor Percy Bland said at a news conference.

Responding officers chased the suspect and later “got into a tussle in a ditch,” Bland said, adding that an officer fired his gun in self-defense.

Police Chief Chris Read told WTOK-TV that the suspect attacked one of the officers with the knife. The officer sustained cuts to the back of his neck and was treated for a cut, according to Bland.

Three officers were placed on paid administrative leave, per department policy, Read said. He did not identify the officers.

The name of the victim was not immediately released.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was called to review the shooting.

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — A former Mississippi pharmacist was sentenced Tuesday to 10 years in prison for his role in a massive health care fraud involving pain cream and other medications.

Marco Moran also was ordered to forfeit nearly $12.2 million in cash and pay restitution of around $22.1 million and a fine of $20,000, the Hattiesburg Americanreported.

Moran, 47, was charged in September 2018 to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He pleaded guilty the same day.

During his sentencing hearing Tuesday in federal district court in Hattiesburg, Moran apologized to the judge, the government, his children and a grandchild.

“This is not in my character,” Moran said. “I’ve learned my lesson in this.”

The scheme, which began in Mississippi, has defrauded TRICARE and other health care benefits providers of more than $1.5 billion nationwide, the government contends. At least 25 people have been charged, and 20 of them have been convicted at trial or pleaded guilty.

U.S. Senior Judge Keith Starrett said in court Tuesday that Moran, like the others in the case, was a good person until he got “caught up in this greed, this evil.”

“I’ve seen a lot of shows in my career as a judge and seen a lot of very sad cases through the years,” Starrett said. “The sad thing is the tremendous ability and potential you have for good. This involved so many people, so many lives ruined, so many careers lost.”

According to court documents, Moran and co-conspirators Wade Walters, Tommy Spell and Silas Richmond, “formed, owned and operated Medworx,” a pharmacy in Ridgeland, which mass-produced what should have been medications tailored for individuals.

Moran also was owner of Custom Care Pharmacy in Clinton, another location that was used in the fraud.

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Nine months after Louisiana’s public schools received $287 million in federal coronavirus aid to defray pandemic expenses, school systems still have not spent more than half that assistance even as they are slated to get another round of more than $1.1 billion.

The first federal allocation — approved by Congress in March and sent to districts in late April — was supposed to help with costs of computers, personal protective equipment, summer school and other expenses related to the virus outbreak.

But The Advocate reports data from the state education department shows $146 million remains unspent.

“The wheels of a big system sometimes move slowly,” said Wes Watts, president of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents and West Baton Rouge Parish schools superintendent.

State officials are sending messages to local superintendents, directors of federal programs and business managers urging them not to delay spending the money, and detailing how it can be used.

“They were cautious on whether they would have to carry it into next year as well,” state Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley said. “They did not know that they would be getting additional dollars.”

But now, Louisiana schools are receiving more than $1.1 billion from the latest round of pandemic aid passed by Congress in December. Districts will be able to spend 50% of their allocation starting in June and the other half starting in January 2022.

Public school classrooms were closed in March 2020 during the early stages of the pandemic. School leaders were forced to rely on distance learning for the rest of the school year, with mixed results amid a shortage of computers and other devices and gaps in student access to the internet.

Currently, 64% of students are getting in-person instruction, with the rest relying on virtual learning or a combination of online and in-person classes, according to the education department.

The West Baton Rouge Parish School District has spent most of its roughly $900,000 in federal aid to ensure all of its 4,000 students have computers or other devices.

“The struggle with it is you can only use it for certain things,” Watts said. “Maybe they need teachers, and you can’t spend it on that.”

In some cases, Watts said districts have committed their share of federal aid but have not yet spent it.

Michael Faulk, executive director of the Louisiana Association of School Superintendents, said local superintendents were reluctant to spend all the aid at once because of concerns about future needs.

“Now with this second stimulus, you don’t have to have a cushion because you are going to get a whole lot more,” Faulk said.

Half of the second round of federal aid is set to go to districts in March along with guidance on how it can be used. Local districts will start crafting budgets for the money in April. State officials will review those plans in May and the money will be available for spending in June.

Brumley said priority for federal aid will be to ensure schools can offer in-person instruction.

MCCOMB, Miss. (AP) — Supervisors in a Mississippi county are discussing courtroom security after a video showed a man trying to attack a justice court judge during a hearing.

The incident happened Jan. 7 in Pike County Justice Court, when a 27-year-old man was making a court appearance after being charged with domestic violence, the Enterprise-Journal reported.

Pike County supervisors on Friday watched a courtroom security video that showed the man arguing with a transport officer and Justice Court Judge Aubrey Rimes.

As the officer led the man toward a side door, the man lunged at the judge and the officer pulled him back. The man threw papers at the judge and tried to come around the side of the court clerk’s desk.

The clerk moved away and the man threw a phone at Rimes. The judge walked toward the man, who threw more paper at him as the officer tried to hold him back. The judge grabbed the man and pinned him onto a table before deputies arrived.

Rimes charged the man with contempt of court, and chief sheriff’s deputy Brad Bellipanni said the man will probably be charged with simple assault. The man remained in jail without bond.

Pike County supervisors had a closed-door meeting Friday to discuss courtroom security, but took no action. After the meeting, board president Robert Accardo said, “We’re going to have to do something.”

ABERDEEN, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi mayor is being removed from office after pleading guilty to embezzlement by a public official.

News outlets report Aberdeen Mayor Maurice Howard entered the plea Monday in Monroe County Circuit Court. Howard had been set to go on trial this week.

Circuit Judge John White ordered Howard’s removal from office. White also gave Howard a 10-year suspended sentence, which means Howard will not go to prison.

Howard was indicted on embezzlement charges in October 2019. State Auditor Shad White said at the time that Howard was accused of taking city funds meant to pay for travel expenses for city business. White said Howard was paid in advance for attending meetings or conferences but then didn’t go.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journalreported that one of Howard’s attorneys, Michael Todd Sterling of Atlanta, told the judge Monday that he had gotten to know Howard the past few weeks. Howard also works as a pastor.

“I think he’s an asset to his community, a dedicated father and a dedicated husband and he intends to use his second chance to better his community,” Sterling said.

The newspaper reported that the judge also ordered Howard to pay court costs of $432, a bond fee of $200 and the victim’s bond fee of $10. White also ordered Howard to pay $8,226 of restitution to Old Republic Surety Company of Milwaukee.