A Call to Expand Medicaid in South Carolina

On January 14, 2014, Katherine Record, Senior Fellow, spoke in front of the South Carolina State House, as part of a call to action for the state to expand Medicaid eligibility, pursuant to the Affordable Care Act.  She emphasized that an estimated 1,300 South Carolinians will die, unnecessarily, as a result of the legislature’s refusal to expand Medicaid.  With 20% uninsured (one of the highest rates in the nation), South Carolina is passing up $1.4 billion in federal funding in 2014 alone; $11.7 billion over the next ten years.  Organized by the South Carolina Progressive Network, the rally attracted approximately 1,300 residents, dressed in black, who represented the number of dead bodies the state would bury due to the refusal to accept expansion funds.  After addressing the public, Katherine met with the state’s Democratic Caucus to strategize ways to improve access to enrollment in new health plans, and to continue to push for Medicaid expansion, all in a Republican controlled legislature.