Category Archives: Health Care

Medicaid Expansion Would Help Working South Carolinians

Some 700,000 South Carolina non-elderly adults aged 19 to 64 lived at or below 138 % of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL) in 2011.[1] The Affordable Care Act expands eligibility for Medicaid to those with incomes below 138 % FPL. … Continue reading

Posted in Health Care, Medicaid Expansion, SC Budget | 2 Comments

The ACA Toolbox for Health Reform: What State Health Leaders Aren’t Telling the General Assembly

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) provides health policymakers with a robust set of tools to accomplish important changes to both bring costs under control and improve our health and health care. The coverage expansion which ensures affordable access to this … Continue reading

Posted in Health Care, SC Budget | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Tale of Two Maps: Misdirection in the Medicaid Expansion Debate

As SCDHHS Director Tony Keck travels the state arguing that South Carolina should not do a Medicaid expansion, a central argument is that the Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act does not put the money where it’s needed. He … Continue reading

Posted in Health Care | Tagged | 3 Comments

The Haley Budget Translated: Blame It on Obamacare

To listen to Governor Nikki Haley, a core budgetary problem facing our state is Obamacare. “Every dollar that Washington forces us to spend on a still-inefficient Medicaid program is a dollar we can’t put into our schools, into our roads … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Education Funding, Health Care, SC Budget, Taxes | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Medicaid Expansion: Costs or Savings for South Carolina?

Will a Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) cost South Carolina $1.085 billion or save us somewhere between $59 million and $679 million. Those are two numbers on the table as South Carolina begins a debate on whether … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Health Care, SC Budget | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Governor Haley’s Vetoes and Budget Policy: what seventy-four vetoes to the General Appropriations bill and seven in the Capital Reserve Fund bill mean for teachers, the arts and our oceans

The General Assembly’s failure is two-fold—they failed to produce a timely budget and,­ combined with gubernatorial vetoes issued late Thursday, have thrown school districts and at least two state agencies into uncertainty. Governor Nikki Haley’s vetoes would eliminate $10 million … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Education Funding, Health Care, SC Budget, Taxes | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

SC Senate on Verge of Giving State Power to Take Over Medicare

The South Carolina Senate is poised to pass legislation to authorize South Carolina to take over all federal health care programs and repeal all federal health care laws and regulations. That would end Medicare, the health care program for persons … Continue reading

Posted in Economy, Health Care, SC Budget | 5 Comments

SC Health Insurance Consumers pay $250 per Year in Agent Commissions

Wonder why health insurance is unaffordable?  South Carolina’s health insurance companies pay insurance producers (agents and brokers) on average $20.85 per member per month ($250 and change per year) for individual policies, the second highest in the country.  See http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparereport.jsp?rep=108&cat=17&o=a&sortc=1. … Continue reading

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