If you are having an emergency, call 9-1-1
Health Insurance
Health insurance is important. It can keep you and your family healthy while saving you a lot of money on costly medical bills. There are several routes to getting health insurance; this page will cover them all and provide links to useful health insurance resources. To compare health insurance options, visit Healthcare.gov or click on the button below.
Insurance through the Government
If you are low-income and meet one of the requirements, you may be eligible for Medicaid in Mississippi. Your child may be eligible for the Children’s Health Insurance Plan, or CHIP. If you are a senior (65+), you may be eligible for Medicare.
Medicaid
If you are an adult under the age of 65, and low income, you may be eligible for Medicaid. In Mississippi there are some eligibility requirements you must meet to be eligible. To check if you are eligible and apply for Medicaid in Mississippi, click the button below.
CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Plan)
If your child is not eligible for Medicaid and is under the age of 19, they may be eligible for CHIP. There is information about CHIP on the Medicaid website, or you can click below to be directed to more information about CHIP.
Medicare
If you are 65 or older, you are eligible for Medicare benefits through the government. To get all your questions about Medicare answered and to sign up, visit Medicare.gov or click on the button below.
Not in Mississippi?
That’s okay! Each state runs its own version of each of these services. They may be under a different name and have somewhat different eligibility requirements and coverage. To find out more about your state’s healthcare plan, visit Healthcare.gov or your state’s Medicaid website.
Insurance through your work
Some jobs offer medical insurance as part of the package. Ask your supervisor if this is the case for your job. Additionally, you may want to seek out jobs with this benefit to save you money in the long run.
Private Insurance
If you don’t qualify for Medicaid or Medicare and don’t get insurance through your work, you can still purchase private health insurance. There are a variety of plans, so be sure to check what they cover. Insurance is complicated! If you are having trouble understanding health insurance plans, it can be handy to know the common vocabulary of health insurance. Check out the health insurance glossary for common terms and vocab used in health insurance to better understand what your options are.
Uninsured?
If you are uninsured, check out the other healthcare resources on this page. Many providers in your area accept people who are under or uninsured. If you have a large hospital bill due to not having insurance, check out the tab on this page titled “Help with hospital bills.”
Local Health Care Providers
Here’s a listed of trusted health care providers that accept Medicaid, Medicare, or provide free or low-cost services to those without insurance. Call to ask about services and appointment availability.
Need Transportation?
If you live in Mississippi in Simpson, Rankin, Copiah, or Hinds Counties, then you may be able to access free transportation if you need it. The South Central Community Action Agency has a Transportation Program that focuses on providing transportation to and from facilities that grant education, employment, and medical services. Call them for information about program availability.
For more information click the button below.
Can’t find what you’re looking for?
If you are not in the Jackson – Hinds area, or are looking for alternate health care options, here are some resources for you.
Community Health Centers in Mississippi
If you are looking for a community health center in Mississippi, you may want to check out the Community Health Center Association of Mississippi. Check out their list of health centers on their website by clicking the button below. You can also browse their website for other health care related resources.
Not in Mississippi?
If you aren’t in Mississippi and are searching for a community health center, click the button below to be taken to the Health Resources & Services Administration search engine for community health centers.
Mental Health Resources
If you are experiencing a mental health crisis in Jackson call 601-955-6381
If you are having suicidal thoughts call 9-8-8
You can always call 9-1-1 in an emergency
Find Help & Support
If you are looking for local assistance with mental health or local sources of information, here are some resources that may be helpful to you.
Education & Self-Help Resources
If you are not looking for professional help at this time, but would still like reliable resources for self-care and mental health, here are some general resources that are easy to understand and made for self-care, and to help individuals learn more about mental health topics. Remember, if you are going through a mental health crisis, seek professional help.
Assistance with Hospital Bills
If you are un-insured or under-insured, and have an emergency, sometimes an emergency trip to the hospital can break the bank. Thankfully, most hospitals have a financial assistance policy for those who have low incomes, and are un-insured or under-insured.
If you have a hospital bill you are struggling to pay back, check the hospital’s website or search google for “Hospital name + financial assistance”. Hospitals will generally have a webpage explaining how to apply for financial assistance, usually you have to get a form and fill it out and submit it to the hospital.
If you are having issues, make sure to call your hospital and ask about their financial assistance policy!
Dollar For
If you do not have time to do this yourself, or need a helping hand, visit Dollar For’s website. They are around to help apply for hospital financial assistance programs. Their services are FREE.
They can:
- Submit an application to the hospital on your behalf
- Collect your financial information using our secure application form and handle all the initial paperwork.
- It typically takes them about 4 – 8 weeks to submit your application.
- Once they have submitted your application, they let you know and send you instructions for following up with the hospital.
- They can give you instructions, tips and tools to submit the financial assistance application on your own.
- They can send you emails with instructions for every step of the process.
- You can email them anytime with questions or for extra help
- You can get your application submitted as fast as you want – even today
How to find your hospital’s financial assistance program:
If you want to do it yourself, here are a couple examples of how to find a financial assistance program for different hospitals just by using google!
Method 1
Method 2
As you can see, not all hospitals have all the information online – you may have to call them to get more information! If they don’t have the information on their website, it never hurts to call and ask.
If you are still struggling, try to get in touch with Dollar For, they assist people in applying for these programs and checking eligibility!
Disability Resources
If you are disabled or have a family member with a disability, there are resources out there specifically for you. This page has information about laws, programs, and organizations that assist individuals with disabilities. The resources that follow are in accordion-style tabs, each of which opens to show more information about a resource.
More Resources
Can’t find what you’re looking for? Check out the Mississippi Council on Developmental Disabilities National and Local resource list by visiting www.mscdd.org/resources or clicking the button below.
Sexual & Reproductive Health
Sexual and reproductive health is important for everyone. This page will include resources on sexually transmitted diseases, resources for individuals with HIV or Aids, resources for pregnant individuals, and resources for finding and understanding birth control. Remember to talk to your doctor about sexual health topics if you want more information. This page is not a replacement for talking to a doctor about your sexual health and is meant only to provide basic resources.
Can’t Find What You’re Looking For?
If you can’t find the topic you’re looking for on this page, Planned Parenthood has put together an extensive topic list with educational resources on sexual health topics. To visit their website, click the button below.
Birth Control & Family Planning
Birth Control
There are many types of birth control, so if you haven’t found a type of birth control that works for you yet, you may want to look into different options! If you don’t currently want kids, or want to wait to have more kids, then birth control can be a helpful tool. To read about the different types of birth control, click the button below.
Where to get Birth Control
Many types of birth control you can get over the counter or at a doctor. Most clinics, especially clinics focused on sexual health, will have free condoms you can take or ask for. If you live in Mississippi, you can get free condoms sent to you by the AIDS Services Coalition. Click on the button below to be taken to their website where you can fill out the form to get free condoms.
What is Family Planning?
Family planning is having kids when and how you want to have them, so that you can grow your family when and how you want to. For more information about family planning, click the button below.
Family Planning Health Insurance
If you do not have insurance and are not otherwise qualified for insurance such as Medicaid, you may qualify for free family planning coverage from the government. To find out more about this program, check if you qualify, and apply, click the button below.
Not in Mississippi?
If you are not in Mississippi but still need condoms, most states have them available through different programs. To learn more about free condoms and find programs in your state, click the button below.
Pregnancy & Childbirth
Pregnancy Testing
Many birth centers and health centers offer pregnancy testing. Additionally, over the counter pregnancy tests are available, but they are somewhat less accurate and reliable. If you think you may be pregnant, and would like to get tested at a health center, schedule an appointment with your usual doctor, or search for free pregnancy tests near you to find a provider that works for you.
Government Programs
There are many government programs available to women who are pregnant or have just given birth, including health insurance and nutrition programs. For more resources related to pregnancy and childbirth, go to our resource page for Children & Families, and then go to the pregnant women & newborns tab.
STDs & STIs
Get Tested
The CDC recommends all adults get tested for STDs and STIs. For the CDC guidelines on when you should get tested, and to find testing centers near you, click the button below.
Information & Education
If you would like to learn more about STDs and STIs, including symptoms and prevention, testing, and treatment, click the link below.
HIV/AIDS
PrEP & PEP
Did you know that HIV & Aids are now nearly entirely preventable? If you are having sex with multiple partners, and want to stay safe from HIV, you may want to consider talking to your doctor about PrEP. If you feel you have been exposed to HIV, talk to your doctor as soon as possible about PEP, which is a medication for post-HIV exposure. For more information about these medicines, click the button below.
Prevention
HIV/AIDS is preventable. Using Condoms is highly effective at preventing HIV/AIDS, but if you are sexually active it’s still smart to get tested frequently if you have multiple partners. Make sure you talk to your partners about STD and HIV safety. To learn more about prevention, click the button below.
Get Tested
To learn more about HIV testing, and to find a testing site near you, click on the button below. You can also talk to your primary care provider about HIV testing.
Information & Education
For general education and information, click one of the buttons below.
More Resources for individuals with HIV/AIDS:
Education & Further Resources
This page has further education and resources for many different health topics. This includes many documents that you can download to learn more information. If you are struggling to find reliable information on a topic, you may want to check the state health department or the CDC website.
For example, the Mississippi State Department of Health has a lot of information about different health topics and government health programs. To visit the MSDH’s website, click the button below.
For the latest government guidelines, as well as a wealth of resources on health topics, go to CDC.gov by clicking on the button below.
Transportation
If you live in Mississippi in Simpson, Rankin, Copiah, or Hinds Counties, then you may be able to access free transportation if you need it. The South Central Community Action Agency has a Transportation Program that focuses on providing transportation to and from facilities that grant education, employment, and medical services.
For more information click the button below.
Documents & Further Resources
You can download any of these documents to get more information on health-related topics.