Last Night House Republicans Voted to Rip Healthcare Away from Children, Pregnant Women, and Nursing Home Residents
What does that Mean for South Carolina?
Let’s start with a quick shoutout to Congressman Clyburn, the lone Democratic member of SC’s Congressional delegation, for his decades long record of fighting for SC’s most vulnerable, as evidenced by his steadfast support of the Medicaid program. Of course we didn’t need to worry about how he would vote on Republicans’ Budget Resolution that cuts $880 Billion from Medicaid, the health insurance program that primarily serves children, families with children living in poverty, pregnant women and people with disabilities.
At least we have one person fighting for the common good in D.C.. Hooray.
And instead of a shoutout, to the rest of SC’s delegation I say: be better (or do we say be best now?). Looking at you Representatives Mace, Wilson, Biggs, Timmons, Norman and Fry. And you too, Senators Graham and Scott. You both consider yourselves leaders of your party. The party that seems eager to rip healthcare away from some of the most vulnerable South Carolinians. The depth of your callousness never ceases to amaze me.
Fun fact: Sen. Scott fancies himself a champion for patients with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). Don’t get me wrong, he certainly seems to have at least tried to do some good work on this issue. In his own words, his Sickle Cell Disease Comprehensive Care Act would “direct CMS to establish a SCD Health Home to improve access to high-quality, outpatient care for Medicaid beneficiaries with SCD”. So how do you square the fact that about 50% of patients with Sickle Cell Disease are on Medicaid and around 1,700 South Carolinians with Sickle Cell Disease use Medicaid or CHIP and Senator Scott seems to be more than willing to go along to get along on the idea of gutting Medicaid. I guess “Trump told me to” will be his only response if ever asked about this blatant contradiction in position. Time will tell. Maybe he will surprise me and fight to keep Medicaid intact. His voting history would suggest otherwise.
I didn’t mean to dive that deep into this specific example, but it really is the perfect illustration of non-principled governing. If you can call it governing. I can’t even imagine how betrayed SC SCD patients will feel if they lose their health insurance at the hands of Sen Scott and his buddies.
More broadly speaking, SC Republicans’ plan to gut Medicaid will have DEVASTATING effects on South Carolinians. And because I still believe facts matter, here are some from the Kaiser Family Foundation (from Aug 2024) to share:
1,141,154 people are enrolled in SC Medicaid
20% of the SC population is covered by Medicaid/CHIP
Because the SC state legislature has not expanded Medicaid eligibility criteria, 76,000 adults fall into the coverage gap
Medicaid covers 4 in 9 children in SC
Medicaid covers 1 in 8 adults 19-64 in SC
Medicaid covers 5 in 8 nursing home residents in SC
Medicaid covers 1 in 6 Medicare beneficiaries in SC
Medicaid covers 3 in 10 people with disabilities in SC
Medicaid covers 47% of births in SC
So, if my math is correct (it is), the Lowcountry’s largest health system stands to lose 54% of its clinical revenue if these programs are gutted. Cue the “closed for business” signs on our hospital doors. Do I think Republicans are actually going to completely cut these programs? No. Do I think they would if they could and survive politically? Yes. Even if these programs aren’t going to disappear completely, even if Medicare ultimately ends up intact, it’s important to appreciate exactly what Republicans are willing to sacrifice to give tax cuts to billionaires and the corporations that helped them get elected.
Not only do these cuts threaten to rip away healthcare from the most vulnerable among us, they will devastate our healthcare system. More uninsured Americans means more crowded waiting rooms in every Emergency Department in America. It means sicker patients who require more resources. It means privately insured patients’ premiums rise to compensate for hospitals’ lack of revenue from public insurance. It means staff will be let go. Fewer physicians will be hired. Longer wait times (again). It means South Carolina gets sicker. It means America gets sicker.
It’s bad politics. It’s bad medicine. It’s bad.
Wait. I thought we were going to be great.
Call the capitol switchboard (202-224-3121) to contact your Representative and Senators and tell them NOT to gut Medicaid.
Cutting Medicaid, Medicare, vaccines, cancer research, and other health programs is the Republicans way to advance their demented eugenics goal. They aim to cull and destroy those humans they regard as weak and dependent . It is biological terrorism against the American people.