Medicaid Expansion in SC – We Continue to Fight

May 23, 2013 / [email protected]

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fusa_joint-ctr_infographic_medicaiddeepsouthpoll_finalThis 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