Posted in Blog, Healthcare, Hunger
The latest Congressional Budget Office report estimates that the current spending package will add over $3.4 trillion to the debt.
COLUMBIA, SOUTH CAROLINA – Over 50+ South Carolina organizations united to call on South Carolina’s Congressional leaders to protect Medicaid, ACA and SNAP from harmful cuts. The list of organizations supporting the letter to South Carolina’s Congressional leaders includes nonprofits, faith organizations, food banks, and small businesses from around South Carolina.
The proposed cuts would immediately impact access to healthcare to those who need it most – this includes seniors, children, low-income families, and people with disabilities. And the impact would not be temporary, but rather long-lasting and devastating for South Carolinians all across the state.” says South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center Executive Director Bridget Brown.
The changes that are in the reconciliation budget severely reduce federal funding to pay for Medicaid and SNAP, shifting costs to our state budget. These costs would be incredibly difficult for the state to cover. This will lead to either more cuts to the programs or harsher restrictions that forcibly lessen the number of people on both programs. The proposed Medicaid cuts are on top of the death-by-a-1,000 cuts Congress is making to the ACA. This will include administrative changes and barriers on top of eliminating the enhanced tax credits that have made the ACA affordable to millions of people in our country, causing more than 230,000 South Carolinians to lose coverage.
“Thie Senate version of the bill ultimately does more harm than the House version. It will hurt our state’s economy by targeting those most in need through changes as well as cruel cuts to Medicaid, the ACA, and SNAP,” says SC Appleseed’s Founder/Director of Policy, Sue Berkowitz. “We will see every county in our state impacted in some way including hospitals, nursing homes, schools, and small businesses. The shift of cost to the state will upend our budget and cause turmoil for our state leaders.”
In the letter, the organizations warn that cuts to Medicaid could expedite and exacerbate the closure of five hospitals in rural areas, worsening the healthcare crisis. They also indicate that cuts could strain the capacity of children’s hospitals in the state, potentially leading to closures there as well.
The letter also notes that cuts to SNAP would directly affect over 143,000 South Carolinians, not only increasing the risk of hunger in the state but further impacting the local economy. For every dollar spent, SNAP generates about one dollar and fifty cents of economic revenue, with locally purchased food at 5,200 authorized retail locations in South Carolina. SNAP brought $1.7 billion in sales to South Carolina in 2023 through 5,195 retailers across the state.
“These proposed cuts would cause an economic hit to our state that South Carolinians cannot afford,” says Omme-Salma Rahemtullah, Executive Director of FoodShare South Carolina. “Our rural communities will particularly be hit the hardest as they have the highest rates of SNAP participation, and the proliferation of food deserts. This includes counties like Allendale, Bamberg, Barnwell, Dillon, Lee, Marion, Marlboro and Williamsburg.”
Join us in discussing the importance of these programs today by using our action tool to contact your SC Congressional Leaders. It only takes a moment to use and makes a tremendous difference!
Take Action: https://www.votervoice.net/SCJustice/Campaigns/121180/Respond
Full List of Organizations Signed On:
- 1983 Evangelistic Ministries
- Able South Carolina
- Alianza Latina of SC
- American Lung Association, South Carolina
- Arras Foundation
- Black Voters Matter Fund
- Brain Injury Association of South Carolina
- Charleston Legal Access
- City of Columbia Homeless Services Department – Rapid Shelter Columbia
- CMD’s Pantry and Resource Hub
- Community Supported Grocery
- Community Resources Depot
- Eastern Carolina Community Foundation
- Family Connection of SC
- Feed & Seed Co.
- Feeding the Carolinas
- Food For All
- FoodShare South Carolina
- GroceryRx
- Habitat for Humanity
- Healthcare For All – South Carolina
- Huspah MBC Ministries
- Institute for Child Success
- JH Walker Legacy Foundation
- Latino Community Development
- Lee County Foodshare
- LiveWell Greenville
- Loaves & Fishes
- Lowcountry Food Bank
- Lowcountry Street Grocery
- Mental Health America of South Carolina
- Mental Illness Recovery Center, Inc. (MIRCI)
- Mill Village Ministries
- NAACP South Carolina State Conference
- NAMI South Carolina
- National Association of Social Workers, SC Chapter
- PASOs
- Positively Influencing the Community with Heart, Inc
- Rainy Day Fund
- RobinHood Group/Union County Farm & Craft Market/Farmers Market Fresh Pak
- Sistercare
- Sisters of Charity Foundation of South Carolina
- SOS Health Care
- South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center
- South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development
- South Carolina Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
- South Carolina Christian Action Council
- South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce
- South Carolina Unitarian Universalist Justice Alliance
- Sowing Seeds into the Midlands
- TAG Consultants & Advisors
- The Baby Last
- Time Served
- Trident United Way
- United Ministries
- Upstate Circle of Friends
- Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network
