Advocacy: Where We Stand
S 0845 Medicaid Expansion
Palmetto Plus is a private market-based plan that expands health insurance to 123,000 South Carolinians who fall into the health insurance coverage gap. This private option plan is supported by a coalition of non-profits, statewide associations, business leaders, a chamber of commerce, and individuals who are concerned about the future of health care in South Carolina. The campaign to support S.845 (Palmetto Plus) will focus on four primary themes:
Access to Care:
Having affordable health insurance means access to preventative care - like cancer screenings, annual checkups, and screenings for diabetes, high blood pressure and heart disease - without out-of-pocket cost.
Savings:
Palmetto Plus will lead to savings for South Carolina taxpayers just as it has done in Arkansas, which enacted its own private option plan. A Robert Wood Johnson study of Arkansas’ health insurance plan showed tremendous savings for state budget writers, enough to make the programs sustainable for the long term. Similarly with Palmetto Plus, revenue increases and the savings to taxpayers associated with greater health insurance options means this is a budget-neutral plan.
Jobs:
Southern states that have expanded health insurance options are experiencing an economic shot in the arm while improving the health of their citizens. Like Arkansas, which is projected to create over 6,000 jobs because it expanded health insurance options (Arkansas source), Palmetto Plus will createnew jobs in numbers that compare favorably with high-profile South Carolina projects like Boeing (7,500 jobs), BMW (7,000) or Volvo (4,000 projected).A considerable portion of the new jobs will be outside the health care industry and over all the positive economic impact of the plan will be measured in the tens of billions of dollars.
Acceptance of federal Medicaid dollars to cover the uninsured will have a PROFOUND positive effect on our mental health system.
S. 997 Refugee Bill
Last month, the South Carolina Senate passed S. 997 that would require refugees entering South Carolina to enroll in a state registry and would prohibit them from receiving any state services. The registry would be posted online for public viewing and allow police to track refugees. Forcing certain residents to register with the state according to their national origin is unconstitutional and sets a dangerous precedent of discrimination. This legislation would not make communities or cities in South Carolina any safer. Rather, it creates an environment of prejudice against refugees and takes away resources that are vital for refugees fleeing violence, persecution, and unimaginable circumstances who deserve the opportunity to rebuild their lives in our state.
This bill sends an unwelcoming message to people fleeing for their lives. Discriminating against those who are in their most dire need simply because of their national origin or faith background is immoral and unjust. We are praying that you may find compassion in your discernment process and vote against any legislation that would hurt immigrants and refugees.
We oppose S. 997 and any other legislation that would force refugees to register upon arrival in South Carolina and would deny them state services necessary to rebuild their lives. We cannot allow anti-refugee legislation to pass and create hateful, discriminatory laws for our communities. Should it pass, such legislation will promote fear and discrimination against refugees who seek only to reach safety and create a better future for their families.
SC H.3342 Safe Harbor for victims of trafficking
The SC H.3342 Safe Harbor Act is in need of being heard by the House Judiciary Committee most urgently, in order to move into the Senate prior to this year’s crossover date of May 1.
This Safe Harbor Act protects the identity of minor victims of trafficking in persons and provides certain protections to minors charged with crimes involving prostitution and coerced involvement in such crimes, among others.
Specifically, it prevents prosecution of children for prostitution and ensures treatment of child victims of human trafficking via the child welfare, not criminal justice, system. Most important, safe harbor shifts treatment of child victims of sex trafficking from being treated as criminals, toward recognition that sexually exploited children are victims of a crime in need of services and support.
Gun Safety:
Sen. Marlon Kimpson pre-filed five gun control bills in the General Assembly in an effort to strengthen background checks, ban certain types of assault weapons, and require lost or stolen weapons to be reported. But make no mistake, Kimpson's comprehensive gun-reform package will face stiff headwinds in a Republican-dominated legislature, regardless of how much the bills deserve serious consideration and debate. As a package, none of the bills would impede or limit lawful gun ownership by law-abiding citizens. The intent is to make it more difficult for criminals to unlawfully obtain a deadly weapon. However, because opposition to any type of gun control has become a conservative litmus test, which opponents use to arguably show their support of the Second Amendment, many Republican legislators will not consider supporting the bills.