healthcare reform | South Carolina Healthcare Voices

Medicaid Expansion in SC – We Continue to Fight

Posted on May 23, 2013 by scjustice

This week, Families USA and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Policies released a study revealing something we have known for quite some time - expanding the Medicaid program as called for in the Affordable Care Act has solid public support. In fact, in polling a broad mix of residents in the five southern states of AL, GA, LA, MS, and SC, they received a 62% favorable response rate. Interestingly, the results from South Carolinians were the most positive with

65.2% of respondents supporting Medicaid expansion for our state.

A similar poll done by Winthrop University in April 2013 found slightly more than half of South Carolinians say they support Medicaid expansion.

Yet, despite having the support of most South Carolinians, Governor Nikki Haley and the South Carolina Legislature have resisted the Medicaid Expansion and refused to accept the federal funding for expansion this year. Simply put, they are out-of-step with their constituents.

Those of us fighting for the expansion understand that not only will broader Medicaid coverage save lives and end unnecessary suffering, it will also stimulate job growth and the economy in our state. Declining the Medicaid expansion now means that even as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation begins, more than 200,000 people in our state will continue to have no health insurance coverage. Here at SC Appleseed, we will continue to fight to close the coverage gap that impacts our working poor.

While we will work hard to ensure the smooth implementation of the Affordable Care Act, we also will not forget that Medicaid expansion is the right thing for South Carolina. We want to thank those Senators who worked so hard this week to include Medicaid expansion in the budget and we hope you will share in our appreciation by contacting the following:

Karl B. Allen
Paul G. Campbell, Jr.
Raymond E. Cleary, III
Creighton E. Coleman
Robert Ford
C. Bradley Hutto
Darrell Jackson
Kevin L. Johnson
Joel Lourie
Gerald Malloy
John W. Matthews, Jr.
J. Thomas McElveen, III
J. Yancey McGill
Floyd Nicholson
Glenn G. Reese
John L. Scott, Jr.
Nikki G. Setzler
Vincent A. Sheheen
Kent M. Williams

We are not done. We will be working the rest of this year to make sure this message is heard. We understand that the will of the people is to expand Medicaid to ensure that hardworking, low-income individuals in our state have access to quality healthcare.

The full polling report, “The Deep South and Medicaid Expansion: The View from Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi and South Carolina,” is available at www.jointcenter.org/research/the-deep-south-and-medicaid-expansion

Filed under: Affordable Care Act, Community Health, Health Care, healthcare reform, Medicaid, South Carolina | Tagged: ACA, medicaid, Obamacare | Leave a Comment »

Expanding Medicaid Will Benefit Both Low-Income Women and Their Babies

Posted on April 18, 2013 by scjustice

For SC Appleseed and our partners in South Carolina, this is yet another example of how accepting the federal dollars for Medicaid support would not only help close gaps in the health coverage, but could be a critical game changer for countless low-income South Carolinians.

According to a study by the Center on Budget and Policy Priority, nearly 6 million women between the ages of 19-44 who do not have insurance could gain health coverage if all states expand their Medicaid programs in 2014 under health reform.

When women have health coverage before becoming pregnant as well as between pregnancies, they are healthier during pregnancy and their babies are more likely to be healthy at birth, research shows. Yet today, millions of low-income women do not have access to continuous health coverage. Instead, under current eligibility rules, many women become eligible for Medicaid only when they become pregnant, and then lose that coverage soon after giving birth.

The Medicaid expansion is therefore a vital opportunity for states to close gaps in the health coverage of low-income women, many of whom can only gain coverage when they are pregnant under current eligibility rules. Ensuring continuous coverage would improve the health of women and their babies, which would lower Medicaid costs related to delivery and postnatal care. Read the full report here.

Filed under: Affordable Care Act, Community Health, Health Care, Health Care For Children, healthcare reform, Medicaid | Tagged: ACA, health, medicaid, Obamacare, South Carolina, women | 1 Comment »

Legislators Champion Bill to Bring Mental Health Services to More Public School Children

Posted on March 6, 2013 by scjustice

Preventive care and treatment for children with mental illness is the focus of a bill that has been introduced in Congress. The bill would provide funding to increase access to mental health services for children in public schools. Senator Al Franken is sponsoring the bill, called the Mental Health in Schools Act. He says it is intended to ensure that schools provide access to critical mental health treatment for children who need and deserve the services. Funding would be provided through grants.

The Mental Health in Schools Act would establish a grant program that would:

Expand access to mental health services in schools;

Support schools that work with community-based organizations to expand access to mental health services for students;

Provide assistance through grants to schools to train staff, volunteers, families, and other members of the community to recognize the signs of behavioral health problems in students and refer them for appropriate services; and

Authorize $200 million in grant funding per year over five years, and eligible schools may apply for up to $1 million per grant year, based on the size of their student population.

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Medicaid Expansion in SC – We Continue to Fight

65.2% of respondents supporting Medicaid expansion for our state.

Expanding Medicaid Will Benefit Both Low-Income Women and Their Babies

Legislators Champion Bill to Bring Mental Health Services to More Public School Children

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