Letter to the editor: Those with good medical coverage should try to help low-income residents get insurance

Just finished the complete 16-page report released by George Washington University’s research arm and Cover SC, a nonprofit group here in our state focusing on health care issues, particularly Medicaid expansion. Our state is one of the 12 states that has not expanded Medicaid. None of the states in the Southeast have expanded, but the vast majority of the other states have, including North Carolina, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kentucky and West Virginia. We have over 14%, or about 12,000, of our population under age 64 without medical insurance and without access to basic health care that most of us take for granted. To be eligible for Medicaid in S.C., a family of three cannot make more than $16,650 per year or $8/hour in a full-time job. Expansion of Medicaid would allow a family of three to make $34,300 or $16/hour in a full-time job. The report specifically highlights the economic benefits of several counties, including Sumter County. Conservative estimates show that we could provide 7,262 of our fellow county citizens with Medicaid coverage with over $60 million in federal aid, which will lead to an economic output of $100 million and at least 700 jobs with 35% of those jobs being non-medical. All of us should encourage our political and business leaders to support this. Those of you who have employees, as we did in our private medical practice for over 30 years, and cannot afford to provide them medical insurance because of the cost will no longer be sad about not providing that benefit. I encourage all of you to at least read a summary of this report. Those of us with good medical coverage should be trying our best to help our fellow low-income citizens get medical insurance.
JOSEPH C. WILLIAMS, MD, FACP
Sumter