New AARP Survey Shows Support for Medicaid and Medicaid Expansion in South Carolina

(Columbia) A new AARP survey of 800 South Carolina residents 45+ shows that almost 70 percent feel that when compared to other government programs, Medicaid is very to extremely important.   Moreover,  57 percent of 45 to 64 year-olds surveyed disagree with Gov. Nikki Haley’s refusal to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid in South Carolina.

The Survey-in-Brief released today in Columbia, shows 54 percent of total respondents backing the expansion of South Carolina’s Medicaid program to provide health coverage for at least 329,000 uninsured state residents. Medicaid is a joint federal-state government program designed to provide limited health coverage to the poor. Until now, each state could set its own income level for eligibility and the states were required to match federal funds – in South Carolina on a 70/30 basis federal to state.

“Expanding Medicaid will help our state’s workers who’ve lost their jobs or are struggling in jobs without health benefits,” said Teresa Arnold, AARP South Carolina legislative director.  “For older workers hit hardest by the recession and out of the workforce longer than younger workers, this is especially important.” She added “Expanding Medicaid will give people without insurance access to preventive care that can reduce the need for expensive emergency room care, and ease emergency room overcrowding.”

Sixty-four percent agree that the state should use a portion of the trust fund money from the 2000 Tobacco Settlement in order to expand Medicaid in South Carolina.  Under the Affordable Care Act, all states will have the same income eligibility for Medicaid: 138% of the federal poverty level, up to $15,000 income for an individual and $32,000 for a family of four. To fund this, the federal government has allocated funds to each state to pay 100 percent of the expansion cost for the first few years, dropping to 90 percent by 2020.

“Hard working South Carolinians need the security of affordable health care,” said Arnold.  This sentiment is shared by a coalition of organizations and business groups who have formed the Accept ME SC coalition to advocate for Medicaid expansion in South Carolina.

Currently, Governors in twenty-five states, including Florida and New Jersey, are pursuing Federal funding for their state Medicaid program.

The AARP telephone survey, conducted February 13-21, 2013 by RDD Field Services, recorded that 90 percent of the respondents had some type of health care coverage and 92 percent have a positive voting behavior.  Political views split at 43 percent conservative; 31 percent moderate, 8 percent liberal and 19 percent other.

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Patrick Cobb | AARP South Carolina | Communications Director

1201 Main Street | Suite 1280 | Columbia, SC 29201

Office: 803-765-7373 | Cell: 803-261-0304

 

Say ‘no’ to SCE&G rate hike

Charleston Post & Courier
Editorial
October 28, 2012

If SCE&G has its way, its average customer will pay $141.73 per month. That’s 42.4 percent more than customers of Duke Energy, 40.6 percent more than customers of Progress Energy and 25.8 percent more than Santee-Cooper customers.

SCE&G customers should be outraged at the disparity. But then they should have been outraged all along. They already pay 35.7 percent more than Duke’s, 34 percent more than Progress’ and 26.1 percent more than Santee-Cooper’s customers.

SCE&G contends that it needs the rate increase because of several situations. At the Wateree Station power plant, a new “scrubber” ($280 million) was brought into service in 2010 to meet federal clean air standards. Nearly $30 million has been spent on other environmental upgrades and projects.

With the downturn in financial markets, SCE&G has incurred additional expenses associated with employee pensions.

And SCE&G wants to add to a storm reserve to help in the event of another Hurricane Hugo.

Still, it is puzzling that SCE&G should need so much more for operations and maintenance than its counterparts.

Maybe the utility needs to economize. If expenses cited by the state’s Office of Regulatory Staff are any indication, there’s room for cost-cutting, and maybe for a change of attitude, too.

Case in point: An audit of SCE&G by the ORS, which serves as the state’s consumer advocate on utilities, found that one member of the board of directors charged a $50 glass of scotch whiskey to the company.

And SCE&G paid $370 for a $37 steak at a Ruth’s Chris Steak House. The ORS says the restaurant made a mistake on the bill, but it’s alarming that SCE&G’s accounting department didn’t question paying $370 for a steak. Even a $37 steak is pretty pricey.

Auditors for ORS caught those two charges by reviewing just a sample of the utility’s expenses. You have to wonder what a top-to-bottom audit might produce — and what it might reveal about the utility’s mindset on budgeting and spending.

SCE&G customers who don’t want to see their already-high bills get higher can send a loud message to the S.C. Public Service Commission, which must approve or deny the request.

The PSC has scheduled three public hearings across the state to gather public input. On Nov. 5, the hearing will be at 6 p.m. in Charleston at the International Longshoremen’s Association Local 1422 on Morrison Drive.

History shows that people can make a difference by speaking up in a night hearing. In 2010, after catching considerable flak from understandably alarmed customers, SCE&G dropped its initial proposal for a boost in electricity rates from 9.52 percent to 6.55 percent over one year. Then it dropped its proposal to 4.88 percent — over three years.

Writing letters of protest helps, but the ORS says commissioners do not see those letters. They do pay heed when customers speak out in person.

The ORS is still determining what it will recommend to the PSC. It will definitely protest part of the rate increase request, and it might well protest a significant portion of the request.

Other entities expected to address the rate hike include AARP, industrial customers, the Navy, Walmart and the South Carolina Small Business Chamber of Commerce, which described SCE&G’s rationale for a rate hike as “appalling and offensive.”

Consumers should be advised that SCE&G also is likely to portray itself as the good guy by proposing a reduction in fuel costs to customers. But the fact is that state regulations dictate that the reduction would happen regardless of whether a rate hike is approved, according to the ORS.

SCE&G’s ability to continue providing electricity is vital to our state’s citizens and to its economic future. But it’s difficult to imagine that the utility can justify a rate scale that tops others by 40 percent and more.

If the PSC can rein them in, well, we’d drink to that — though with something less expensive than a $50 glass of scotch.

http://www.postandcourier.com/article/20121028/PC1002/121029273/1021/say-no-to-sceg-rate-hike