South Carolina’s Medicaid agency has received another taxpayer-funded bailout from Gov. Nikki Haley and her “Republican” allies on the S.C. Budget and Control Board (B&CB).
This bailout – totaling $100 million – comes just six weeks after Haley and the B&CB gave the agency an initial $100 million bailout.
Even worse, the tab is still open … meaning that more money could be en route to the agency before the current fiscal year ends on June 30.
As we’ve noted in the past, the so-called “deficits” at the S.C. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) are not Haley’s fault. But that doesn’t mean she and her fellow board members should be using surplus revenues to cover them.
Seriously … last year’s budget was the largest in state history. Why in the world is any agency running a shortfall?
Part of the problem lies with the legislature’s micromanagement of the state’s executive branch of government. Under former Gov. Mark Sanford, DHHS attempted to make cuts to its budget in 2008 – but legislative budget writers blocked those efforts. In previous years lawmakers have also refused to let DHHS cut provider rates – making South Carolina the only state in the nation operating under this restriction. On top of that, lawmakers have stripped between $500-550 million from the DHHS budget over the last three years – spreading that money around to cover “shortfalls” at other state agencies.
Beyond shoddy fiscal management, the Palmetto state has a splintered, unaccountable and incompetent health care delivery system. In fact, this dysfunctional structure is one reason we opposed state lawmakers’ recent decision to raise taxes so that they could dump an additional $140 million a year down this same rabbit hole (thank you, Sen. Glenn McConnell).
Of course the larger problem lies in accepting federal money with strings attached – which S.C. lawmakers have been doing for years. This addiction to federal funding (which of course is nothing but money borrowed from future generations of taxpayers) has ballooned our state’s Medicaid population to the point that there are over 975,000 South Carolinians currently enrolled in the program. That total includes 43 percent of the state’s children and 52 percent of all live births. And all of those numbers are going up …
Also, beginning in 2014 states must expand Medicaid to cover all non-elderly individuals with family incomes below 138 percent of the federal poverty level. “Obamacare” and its borrowed billions will pay for the first three years of this expansion, but in 2017 the burden begins to shift to states.
The B&CB debate over the latest Medicaid bailout was particularly contentious. While Haley practically begged for the funds, S.C. Treasurer Curtis Loftis argued that B&CB members do not have the statutory authority to address mid-year deficits when state lawmakers are in session.
Loftis was the lone member of the B&CB to vote against the measure. Joining Haley in supporting the bailout were Comptroller General Richard Eckstrom, Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman (RINO-Florence) and House Ways and Means Chairman Danny Cooper (RINO-Anderson).
That’s obviously not the split that voters were hoping to see.
When Haley and Loftis were nominated by Republicans in 2010 – largely on the strength of the Tea Party movement – it was hoped that they would join Eckstrom to form a fiscally conservative majority on the B&CB. That’s clearly not happening.
We have consistently opposed bailing out state agencies that have exhausted their funds – something we thought Haley and Eckstrom opposed, too.
***
By cash March 22, 2011 at 10:27 am
Will this money somehow end up in India, or maybe off-shore?
By Lookie March 22, 2011 at 10:27 am
Wow, where is Eleanor the righteous ethnic woman in all this?
By Wally March 22, 2011 at 10:52 am
Hey smart kid. Can you tell from this photo where that nice clean head is???? I would like to retrieve the dough and take a healthy dump.
By cash March 22, 2011 at 11:02 am
Based on the fact that big money is missing from the Sikh Relig. Soc. and one of the treasurers was Rick Singh (broth-in-law) and the father was the person accepting checks for the group…at his home address, I guess Randhawas can’t be trusted around money. Now where will this bailout end up, cause there is a Ranhawa involved?
By cash March 22, 2011 at 11:03 am
Is loan sharking legal in SC? Does anyone know?
By Bollywood March 22, 2011 at 11:16 am
Hey Sic…..Can we get a story on the Sikh Religion Society????
By eggaday March 22, 2011 at 11:44 am
*CLEARS THROAT*
there is clearly a lot more to this story
By Cherry March 22, 2011 at 11:55 am
Somebody please clean out the bowl before Nikki shows up.
By cash March 22, 2011 at 12:05 pm
The 2 massages per week at Logan R. and the acne facials at Osso…Are these during work hours or does she use her lunch break? The messages my help “loosen” her up, but the face thing isn’t working.
By JR March 22, 2011 at 12:13 pm
Come on people… the medicaid rolls are expanding in this state faster than ever, and each of these individuals within the first two years of their enrollment will consume more health care dollars than they will the next 4. (a large percentage had no health care coverage before, now that they become medicaid eligible they finally go get care for the things they wouldn’t pay out of pocket for). SO combine the big jump in new recipients, with their high consumption of health care dollars the first 24 months, and you have a big huge medicaid increase.
If medicaid in this state is ever going to reduce spending, then two things have to happen. People need to get jobs (duh), and we need to create programs that address the 100-200% federal poverty level (Tri-County Project Care in Charleston is a great example). As much as you would love to blame all of this on fraud, I would bet that represents less than 1% of spending in our state. And instead of constantly WHHHa- ing about this problem… why don’t you come up with ways to reduce spending in our state, FITS.
By Sam March 22, 2011 at 12:30 pm
So we have one conservative left on the B and C Board.
The Tea Party has united with the RINO’s. Jees, what did we do in this last election?
Good luck Treasurer Curtis Loftis. And by a flap jacket and helmet. You are going to need it.
Curt
By Lynn March 22, 2011 at 12:43 pm
Haley, Eckstrom and Leatherman. Three peas is a pod. NIce job Tea PArty.
By cash March 22, 2011 at 12:46 pm
They want Curtis out, and he knows it. He doesn’t want to play their game. Of course, their games has some high stakes…you either end up filthy rich or go to prison. Where is John Rainey?…we need you.
By Dr. Genius March 22, 2011 at 2:23 pm
Loftis seems on the ball. Don’t tell that to Nikki. More fireworks to come.
By Stuffed Poots March 22, 2011 at 2:53 pm
Haley says jump Eckstrom says how high? Stalkerman is an establishment RINO. You should really quit believing he is on the side of the taxpayers.
By cash March 22, 2011 at 3:00 pm
Are these guys just afraid of her??? STDs are not air born. However, they are contagious.
By Manmeet March 22, 2011 at 4:28 pm
cash – I believe some of them can be quite painful.
By cash March 23, 2011 at 2:27 am
Manmeet, I also have heard painful. When around the Nikster, protect yourself. Don’t tap it til you wrap it.
By stdsingle March 23, 2011 at 3:35 am
There are plenty of dating personals sites out there. One of niche I joined is www. Hdating . net. It provides online std consellor service, std blogs, std forum, members are encouraged to post their success stories on find their std match. It is really a good support for people with stds.
By Manmeet March 23, 2011 at 7:56 am
No, I want a clean women. If I’m going to wrap it, I might as well get a blow doll, DVDs, beer, make it a night.
By conservative1 March 23, 2011 at 9:43 am
I wonder if “Lorena” surfs the Hdating site?
Pingback: April Rally: A 2014 Primary Preview & Poll
Pingback: A Surplus? Not For SC Taxpayers | South Carolina News Press | South Carolina Breaking News Headlines | SC