Ellington

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — A University of Southern Mississippi program that helped residents navigate the federal health insurance marketplace will end because of budget cuts.

The Hattiesburg American reports that the Mississippi Health Access Collaborative's three-year, $1.4 million grant expires next month. Director Kathryn Rehner says that continuing funding was cut to $100,000, which is insufficient to sustain the program.

The Trump administration slashed funding for ACA navigator programs from $36 million to $10 million nationwide.

The collaborative helped enroll 2,000 eligible residents in the Affordable Care Act, and helped more than 35,000 others with health insurance consumer issues. Rehner estimates that 90 percent of the enrollees were single mothers, along with some elderly and disabled people.

Rehner says officials are working to redirect recipients to other agencies and services.