Jackson Free Press

After struggling to get my Medicaid coverage back (for now anyway), I wondered what was going on with Dorothy Bishop's situation.

Here's a refresher:

STARKVILLE — In her younger days, Dorothy Bishop was an activist.

She marched for civil rights in the 1960s and helped register fellow black residents to vote.

She thought those days had faded until her doctor told her she'd have to pay $500 a month for her prescriptions because of new limits in the state's Medicaid program.
So, the 62-year-old who cannot walk decided it was time to protest again — this time from her bed.

Since July 12, Bishop has sat on her bed on the steps of the Oktibbeha County Courthouse protesting the prescription limits. Friends and family surround her.

"It ain't real comfortable, but I'm going to make it do," said Bishop, who lives south of this university town.

This past spring, lawmakers altered the Medicaid program to control costs. The major change for patients was a limit to two brand-name drugs monthly and only five prescriptions total. The former law allowed up to seven prescriptions per month.

Well, a class action civil suit was filed on December 15, 2005 against Barbour and the current executive director of Medicaid, Dr. Robert L. Robinson. (I can't even remember the last director's name now.) Go here to review the complaint. The Facts of the Plaintiffs portion of the document (pp. 7-15) is heartbreaking. Ms. Bishop's portion starts at the bottom of page 14.