Healthcare Funds Cut
In the latest budget negations, the South Carolina House cut $50 million- primarily from health care appropriations. The cuts include removing $5.6 million for AIDS prevention and treatment, including two programs that help AIDS patients purchase their life-saving prescriptions. The cuts limit patients on state-funded Medicaid to only 3 prescriptions a month, and removed all $4 million for state-funded cancer screenings.
According to the Greenville News, “House Republicans cut $50 million in health programs, including cancer screening, HIV and kidney disease prevention, rural hospital grants, free medical clinics, smoking cessation and trauma centers. Medicaid prescriptions would be capped at three per month, and no new enrollments would be allowed in the state’s health insurance program for children.”
These cuts were made after the House failed to override Governor Sanford’s veto of $20 million in new court fees. Representative Joe Neal (D-Richland) is quoted in the State paper: “It is very clear what the intent of this is. It is punishment for not going along with the vote.”
Representative Gilda Cobb-Hunter said that the House has “stuck it to poor people. To heck with the Democrats who care about the poor. It would be funny if it were not so sad.”
Click here to read the article in the State
This loss of funding is catastrophic to the millions of South Carolina tax-payers who are HIV positive and rely on these programs for their medications.
Click here to read more about this story
Republicans in the SC legislature: Don’t feed them, Don’t help them with medical problems, you’re on your own…..Nice huh?
They have held the house for 16 years and both the House and Senate for the last 10. Are you better off now?
As long as they have a lopsided majority they don’t even have to come to the table to negotiate, they s…imply dictate.
You can just keep voting against your own best interests or vote in Democrats who consider the people first.