Small Businesses May Receive Both State and Federal Tax Credits,
Dental and Vision Coverage Eligible for Credit

Key Facts about New Guidance on the Small Business Health Care Tax Credit:

• Provides detailed information to make it easier for small businesses to determine whether they are eligible and how large a credit they will receive.
• Resolves a number of key implementation issues in ways that allow employers to receive the maximum credit available under the law.
• Clarifies that a business’s credit will not be reduced because the business also receives a health care tax credit or subsidy from a state.
• Allows small businesses to receive the credit not only for regular health insurance but also for add-on dental, vision, and other limited-scope health insurance coverage.

Read More Of The Report

Yesterday the General Assembly voted to override Gov. Mark Sanford’s veto.  After thirty- three years and an eight year effort South Carolina has finally increased its cigarette tax!

We have successfully raised the once lowest in the nation tax, from a measly seven cents to fifty-seven cents per pack. The House vote of 90-29 and the Senate vote of 33-13 will help to raise an estimated $135 million to  fund our struggling Medicaid program, cancer research and smoking cessation programs.

We sincerely thank all the legislators that stood up and opposed Sanford’s veto to do what was just and needed for South Carolina’s citizens.

This was a collaborative effort, and we thank all the many groups who supported and aided this nearly decade-long battle.

Please take a minute to read the articles about this historic passage and tune into WIS News Watch on Sunday morning at 10:30 to see Sue Berkowitz explain the importance of the increase.

Senate Overrides Sanford’s cig tax veto

Long road to victory: Higher cigarette tax becomes lawS.C.

The General Assembly has sent a 50 cent cigarette tax increase bill (H. 3584) to Governor Sanford.  All but $10 million goes to fund, with the remainder divided between smoking cessation programs and MUSC’s Hollings Cancer Center for tobacco-related cancer research.

Governor Sanford will, in all likelihood, veto the legislation tomorrow.

It is critical that you call your House member (http://www.scstatehouse.gov/html-pages/housemembersd.html) and Senator (http://www.scstatehouse.gov/html-pages/senatemembersd.html) now and urge them to “vote to override the Governor’s veto on the cigarette tax bill”.

Congratulations to Frank Knapp with the SC Small Business Chamber of Commerce who has filmed a commercial on the benefits of the new healthcare law for small business owners and their employees.

You’ve heard the scare tactics and lies, now learn how health care changes will promote quality affordable health care in South Carolina

join us for our

Health Care Implementation Meeting

Monday, May 3rd

6:00 – 7:30 p.m.

at the

Poyner Adult and Community Education Center

301 South Dargan Street

Florence, SC 29506

(843) 664-8152

Need help finding your way? Here’s a map to The Poyner Adult and Community Education Center

We will discuss what initiatives have gone into effect and the process of implementing the rest of the improvements over the next few years. These meetings are open to the public. Please feel free to bring anyone interested in how these improvements will benefit South Carolina.

Greenville

Monday April 26th, 2010

6:00-7:30 p.m.

Hughes Main Library

25 Heritage Green Place

From our Friends at Community Catalyst

National health care reform will have immediate benefits for Americans seeking quality,
affordable health care. Focusing on the benefits that these policies will have on real people’s
lives will help gain greater support for the new law, and put a human face on the issues that are
being resolved.

Read the Report

On March 23, 2010, President Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Public Law 111-148), which is designed (with its companion set of amendments in H.R. 4782) to provide coverage to 32 million uninsured people, adopt broad-reaching reforms in insurance industry practices, make major new investments in public health, and reduce the federal deficit. By 2019, 92 percent of the non-elderly population is expected to have health insurance (94 percent if undocumented immigrants are excluded from the calculation). In that year, an additional 16 million individuals will obtain coverage through Medicaid and CHIP and 29 million will obtain coverage through new health insurance Exchanges.

Read the Summary

From our Friends at the Georgetown University Health Policy Institute Center for Children and Families

Key Health Care Reform Dates for Children & Families