[{"_1":2,"_100":-5,"_101":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76,88],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6296894,"mediaKeyId","2512583-4fe4a0a9ffd5a11cb24a4eb81f66fb91","parentId",2512583,"title","State HHS seeks $55M maintenance funding, behavioral‑health and home‑and‑community increases","audioSeconds",76,"startMs",1948545,"endMs",2024615,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2512583-4fe4a0a9ffd5a11cb24a4eb81f66fb91&start=1948&end=2024","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2512583-4fe4a0a9ffd5a11cb24a4eb81f66fb91/thumbnail_1948545.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6296894/South-Carolina/State-HHS-seeks-55M-maintenance-funding-behavioralhealth-and-homeandcommunity-increases","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296894-f6455dba8094a965d7275cab53025be3/orig.mp4?Expires=1776424563&Signature=VZKnIYXxyZQPOQypZ-nxbDIUxBoqFjqIoXv7pdlJB-71sLBuXeLxzmkyFjtYKq1eaM9-I846-ZEnchHfkJqFO2xgfjgDIYC0FTZTN12jigeTQzbFJ3~AumGB1szUaxhhB6AscgoStnp6wVFWHLgaZIISKaZL7rkbw4KXcNHHvpyDGtq44q2EpMm9M0l6YcX6pW4Kbg3MfVwoGsvMsKus4U-OVeXoxmk7gqI4AjKImxhx8uPAYadJmpU~NRKlkkm5jv5gwiOZWJnSilvw1SxfF9J2x-Jl-jluaQaJw~dqabMI3N8JlGFx9ah4YdjrCJ1fDLsenWS9Bjbx5~jNI9nYmQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","South Carolina Legislature","date","2025-03-05T00:00:00Z","article","Eunice Medina, director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, presented the agency’s FY‑26 decision packages to the Senate Finance subcommittee on March 5, describing several maintenance and targeted requests tied to Medicaid enrollment changes and program operations.

Medina said Medicaid enrollment fell from roughly 1,300,000 during the federal public‑health emergency to about 1,100,000 after redeterminations, a drop of roughly 200,000 members. “A couple of the other slides…show that those in Medicaid that we serve are truly the most vulnerable: majority children, pregnant mothers, the disabled and the elderly,” Medina told the committee.

Medina described a maintenance‑of‑effort request of approximately $55,000,000 to “keep our lights on,” noting the agency has historically requested $70–90 million but is reducing the current ask after cost‑saving work. She said consolidating pharmacy preferred drug lists under state management increased federal rebate capture and saved about $21,000,000 per year.

On behavioral health, Medina requested $5,700,000 to consolidate and increase reimbursement for community‑based rehabilitative behavioral‑health services, with a priority on raising rates for lower‑paid private providers and addressing substance‑use disorder services. She also proposed adding Medicaid coverage for partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs —“a step‑down option from inpatient” — with a relatively small initial request intended to seed capacity statewide.

Medicaid asked to raise opioid‑treatment program reimbursement to parity with Medicare (a request described as roughly $5,400,000) to expand capacity and address substance‑use disorder treatment shortages.

Medina outlined a proposed change to graduate medical education (GME) payments, moving from cost‑report based reimbursement to a per‑resident payment model to allow targeted incentives for specialties and areas of greatest need. She said the agency has completed the supply‑and‑demand portion of a GME study, is finalizing Medicaid network mapping and expects to present a recommended methodology for possible implementation July 1.

On home‑and‑community‑based services (HCBS), Medina said the program is not an entitlement and is constrained by appropriations and federally approved slots. She said many intellectual‑disability waivers carry long waitlists (DDSN‑managed programs include substantial waits) and asked the committee to authorize funding to release roughly 1,000 individuals from wait lists — a request Medina tied to a $10,000,000 appropriation for slots and support.

Medina signaled the department will monitor the new partial‑hospitalization/intensive‑outpatient line and adjust future requests as hospitals build capacity. She also committed to returning to the legislature with a report next year on outcomes from GME payment changes and other policy moves. The subcommittee requested additional follow‑up materials, including the Kaiser report referenced on wait lists and periodic updates on program rollouts. No formal votes were taken during the presentation.

Medina’s presentation identified internal colleagues (CFO Brad Livingston, communications director Jeff Lauretz and legislative aide Jackson Wilkins) and reflected a portfolio‑level approach combining cost‑savings and targeted investments to expand capacity for behavioral health, opioid treatment and home‑based supports.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","March 5, 2025 9:00 am Senate Finance Committee ","oneSentenceSummary","Eunice Medina, director of the Department of Health and Human Services, told the Senate Finance subcommittee on March 5 that Medicaid enrollment stabilized near 1.1 million and the agency seeks about $55 million in maintenance funding plus targeted packages for behavioral health, opioid treatment reimbursement, GME payment reform and home‑and‑community slots.","taxTitle","Finance, Standing, Senate, Committees, Legislative, South Carolina","taxId",17657,"location","South Carolina","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6296899,"MUSC outlines $65 million in state funding priorities, including cancer center and recovery center",163,960,164645,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2512583-4fe4a0a9ffd5a11cb24a4eb81f66fb91&start=0&end=164","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2512583-4fe4a0a9ffd5a11cb24a4eb81f66fb91/thumbnail_960.jpg","/articles/6296899/South-Carolina/MUSC-outlines-65-million-in-state-funding-priorities-including-cancer-center-and-recovery-center","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296899-164daaedec284d36f8d13b715934c39b/orig.mp4?Expires=1776424563&Signature=R-dJjjKoGLhwbM5fYh41BqAsMpFdWvABETUqzEVQ3qxsuArf3iUQZ7qIHXL1lwolqdEbZJdDEQprEa-eCdv8BAvySdO6O0aKt2vogC2gwkjZVkPTGhybQ39-22UcZERDK08IyHm7GPGxxEgzuB4vOEXlkV99~3chNO3bx-1TPjIERcEllrkfOPaeqjnyaB0tqFvqBs3IxhUTXieykTkdCUTkU66segzxzJuPDAgbA62rJERspMffRcApE~NlUYEF7wlf~9hL0nZ5Hq6~qkK6EnNF~W2h6L6cz7dpZLitnIXqNmdc55ZOcCYXK8Jn4lcb5HIe8z2mxJ3OXEPGhfpoFQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. David Cole, president of the Medical University of South Carolina, told the Senate Finance Committee subcommittee on health and human services on March 5 that MUSC is asking the legislature for targeted recurring and one‑time funding to expand statewide services and research.

Cole told the subcommittee MUSC’s top request is additional support to secure National Cancer Institute comprehensive designation. “We need the additional $5,000,000 recurring over the next five years to be able to hire the physicians, to be able to get the clinical trials,” Cole said, adding the recurring $10 million the state provided in prior years had been deployed to lay groundwork for the application.

The university framed the NCI goal as a statewide access project: comprehensive designation, Cole said, “means that we’re not hunkered down in Charleston; we’re delivering care across the state and making a difference tangibly for our citizens.” MUSC said the additional recurring funding would support physician hires and clinical‑trial infrastructure required for the NCI review.

Cole also requested funding for a planned Palmetto Recovery and Renewal Center, describing it as “the first of its kind in South Carolina” to keep patients in‑state for treatment and rehabilitation. MUSC asked for $5,000,000 recurring plus a $50,000,000 one‑time appropriation to develop and operate that facility. When a senator corrected a smaller figure offered during the presentation, Cole accepted the correction on the record.

Separately, MUSC described a proposed Southeastern Health AI Consortium in partnership with the University of Florida to build regional analytics and data infrastructure for care optimization and clinical‑trial matching. Cole said the consortium would underpin initiatives such as next‑generation cancer therapeutics and pediatric glioblastoma trials, but he did not present a specific dollar amount for the consortium request during the hearing.

Cole highlighted other requests and initiatives: a neuromodulation therapy mobile clinic to deliver transcranial stimulation for treatment‑resistant depression (non‑recurring funds sought to establish capability), and graduate medical education (GME) startup funding for rural residency programs. He emphasized the state role in sustaining GME expansion, noting federal startup rules limit program growth unless hospitals and systems secure multi‑year start‑up resources. MUSC cited recent matches in Florence (all eight residency slots filled) and work on a Lancaster program with local philanthropic and Duke Endowment support.

Cole described MUSC as a $7,100,000,000 enterprise with nearly 32,000 employees and said MUSC research expenditures were roughly $360,000,000 last year, with NIH grants and indirect cost rate uncertainty a concern for the research budget.

The subcommittee pressed on retention and workforce distribution. Senator Burton emphasized the need to grow both residency slots and incentives to keep physicians in underserved counties; Cole described a two‑part debt forgiveness incentive (half-debt forgiveness for matching into critical‑needs residencies and the remainder after four years of practice) that MUSC and the state are implementing to improve retention.

MUSC officials acknowledged varying levels of detail remain to be worked out for several requests and said some asks will be phased across years and paired with private and federal support. No formal vote or committee action was taken during the presentation.

MUSC speakers listed their executive team (Rick Anderson, Don Hartsell, Mark Swetman, Quentin Tompkins, Sarah Hearn and Gary Simrill) and invited committee members to follow up on the GME, cancer center and behavioral‑health initiatives.

MUSC’s presentation concluded with committee appreciation for the university’s statewide partnership work and an invitation to provide additional details as the subcommittee develops budget recommendations.","Medical University of South Carolina President Dr. David Cole presented MUSC’s budget priorities to the Senate Finance subcommittee, seeking recurring and one-time state funding for a comprehensive cancer center, an in‑state recovery and renewal center, AI infrastructure partnerships and other clinical and training expansions.",{"_33":89,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":90,"_41":91,"_43":92,"_45":93,"_47":94,"_49":95,"_51":96,"_53":97,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":98,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":99,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6296890,"New Department of Public Health seeks staff and systems upgrades for facility oversight, moms and infectious diseases",210,2909329,3120230,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2512583-4fe4a0a9ffd5a11cb24a4eb81f66fb91&start=2909&end=3120","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2512583-4fe4a0a9ffd5a11cb24a4eb81f66fb91/thumbnail_2909329.jpg","/articles/6296890/South-Carolina/New-Department-of-Public-Health-seeks-staff-and-systems-upgrades-for-facility-oversight-moms-and-infectious-diseases","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6296890-145f11499c82e65204420fcd7562c5df/orig.mp4?Expires=1776424563&Signature=d3WgNIf03vcrWVCuxQtoVykOUW42cfNGwKjqfCD9XRY7528a9tvQ0d-MnUToAY25jv1z-0c-3sQWuaMH9NYZugjeanq~6aKHsFWkebLlEcclUslMboM1TkvVVefOdjwsshyqewKTR8fSjuGlhlMxM75znjTV7aRJhhGyXyo34k-t3zT9Ty7~r1e-Bwdv0UYcCDFUIbM7Ls5WsqVnj5UyIBpSPp14NazHQXjgWuYp4PgQScg6YKL3odU8qXOvNyQjMw0SSBpxxxT0CUu3sTuDckogkN~ylGhzRlDRQ9Q-tHD7JUE0aRkC01zws8OLO1JOIg2w~iCtxUQp07DpFhp9Mw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dr. Edward Simmer, interim director of the newly formed Department of Public Health, presented four prioritized budget requests to the Senate Finance subcommittee on March 5 aimed at rebuilding public‑health capacity across inspection, maternal health, infectious disease response and IT.

Simmer said federal grants make up about 47% of the department’s funding and that, to date, those grants have not been interrupted. He described a first‑priority package to strengthen health‑care facility safety: 22 new FTEs, funding for eight existing FTEs that were previously unfunded, and $4,600,000 recurring to reduce complaint response times and expand evening and weekend unannounced inspections. “Our goal is to have every complaint addressed within 30 days,” Simmer said, noting current response times range from about 50 to 77 days depending on facility type.

The request also funds collaborative improvement teams that work proactively with facilities and aims to improve recruitment and retention of field inspectors by adjusting schedules so inspectors spend three weeks on the road and one week in the office for training, paperwork and time at home.

Simmer’s second priority focused on maternal and infant health. He described last year’s mobile maternity unit procurement and requested $1,250,000 recurring to operate it; the unit will provide prenatal and postnatal care, basic ultrasound, lactation support and mental‑health and substance‑use screening, and the department intends to contract operation to a major health system. Simmer also asked for $1,400,000 one‑time funding for a statewide expansion of the Hear Her public‑education campaign to teach pregnant women and families to recognize warning signs that should prompt urgent care.

The third package asked for 21 new FTEs, support for nine existing FTEs and $4,300,000 recurring to strengthen frontline public‑health response in tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections (including a sharp increase in syphilis and congenital syphilis) and rabies control. Simmer said the state has seen about a 40% increase in active TB cases, a 55% rise in latent TB, an 80% increase in syphilis and an 800% rise in congenital syphilis; he described the work as labor‑intensive because TB treatment requires months of directly observed therapy and STI control depends on contact tracing.

Finally, the department requested $16,100,000 one‑time for IT modernization, citing legacy systems dating to the 1970s that create downtime, manual work and cybersecurity risk. Simmer said modernization would enable public posting of facility inspection reports and improve billing, data collection and security.

Committee members pressed on program choices and outcomes. President Alexander and other senators expressed interest in nurse‑family and in‑home models for maternal supports; Simmer said the department will work with the committee to evaluate models and emphasized immediate prenatal access via the mobile unit as a high priority.

Simmer said the department would notify the committee if federal grant conditions change and that the WIC program will bring a separate federal authorization increase of $12,000,000 that the agency will request permission to use. The committee did not take votes during Simmer’s presentation but signaled follow‑up on IT details, safe‑sleep outcomes and maternal‑health delivery models.","Interim DPH director Dr. Edward Simmer asked the Senate Finance subcommittee for staffing and IT investments to speed facility complaint response, expand maternal health access with a mobile maternity unit and public education, and add frontline staff for tuberculosis, STIs and rabies response, plus IT modernization.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

State HHS seeks $55M maintenance funding, behavioral‑health and home‑and‑community increases

MUSC outlines $65 million in state funding priorities, including cancer center and recovery center

New Department of Public Health seeks staff and systems upgrades for facility oversight, moms and infectious diseases