CALL TO ACTION! Please submit your comments today regarding the Palmetto Pathways to Independence Waiver which includes strict work requirements. The proposal opens Medicaid to a small, new group of South Carolinians parents between the ages of 19-64 whose income falls between 67% to 100% FPL (for a family of 2, that is around $1,092 to $1762 a month). To get the coverage, however, it requires reporting work activities that total at least 80 hours per month. The 80 hours may also include volunteer work or enrollment in school. While we support expanding access to healthcare in South Carolinians, we believe the waiver has some major concerns that need to be addressed. Here are some key things to consider as you write your comments: - The state's proposed target population is extremely narrow and does not offer standard exemptions (for example, if you are a caretaker and must be available 24/7, or you have a disability that makes working 80 hours a month difficult, or barriers to transportation) - The state's proposed consequence for noncompliance will result in coverage losses by disenrolling beneficiaries without grace periods, limiting access by requiring compliance with requirements prior to enrollment. - The state's proposed enrollment cap avoids accountability and restricts access to coverage, even if a beneficiary is eligible and meets all the requirements. - The waiver (as proposed) would not receive enhanced federal match if South Carolina were to ever expand Medicaid. - The state failed to provide a rationale for the proposed termination of hospital presumptive eligibility. It will delay access to life-saving care and increase financial pressure on hospitals - The state is projecting increased administrative costs for SCDHHS to increase by 2% for the first two years of the program (not included in the budget neutrality calculation). - Cost estimates per member projected to increase to an annualized rate of 6% - benefitting SC MCO's. HOW TO SUBMIT COMMENTS: Per SCDHHS, written comments on the proposal can be submitted electronically or through the mail: 1. Email to CEWaiver@scdhhs.gov, reference "Palmetto Pathways to Independence" in the subject line. 2. Written comments may be mailed to: South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services Re: Palmetto Pathways to Independence Waiver P.O. Box 8206 Columbia, South Carolina 29202 The deadline is May 31, 2025. Thank you for your advocacy! (fb)

Early on Thursday, the US House of Representatives passed their amended budget reconciliation package which features devastating cuts to SNAP and Medicaid. Please see our statement regarding this spending bill: This package is historic not for its vision, but for the scale of its proposed cuts to Medicaid and SNAP—potentially the largest in both programs’ histories. The spending bill will have large ripple effects through our communities, creating even greater food insecurity than we already have now and making healthcare inaccessible to thousands of people in our state. The bill is also an economic misstep for South Carolina. Rather than supporting the programs that helps generate vital income to our hospitals, farmers, and local businesses all across the state, the bill instead passes costs of these programs to the states in order to keep these programs, causing budget chaos, deficits and uncertainty in the future of these programs. As this harmful, rushed bill moves to the U.S. Senate, we thank everyone who has raised their voice so far. The fight to preserve these programs is not over. Your advocacy matters, and we’ll need it again. Together, we can continue to shine a light on what’s at stake—and fight to protect the lifelines South Carolinians rely on every day. (fb)