Medicaid in South Carolina to run out by March 2011 and currently has $228 million deficit (Columbia: cost of)

[g-man430]

What happens when you spend money you don't have? Well: Medicaid Funds Running Out - Greenville News Story - WYFF Greenville (http://www.wyff4.com/news/25748097/detail.html - broken link) WYFF said on the news earlier tonight that if South Carolina doesn't find the funds to cover the deficit and keep the program running by March 2011 the state could lose out on federal funds for this and other things. This state just keeps getting better and better.

[Charlestondata]

It's hard for the state to have enough money to pay the benefits of so many sick and disabled people whose general health is poor because of a sedentary lifestyle and bad diets that lead to obesity and the health problems that come with it.

[Butterfly4u]

I could care less about Medicaid.
If we aren't going to have a nice universal health plan for all Americans
that will have to bring down the cost of health care instead of satisfying
the Shareholders and CEOs like it is now, I say do away with it
all.
I have never collected any government money for myself for
anything. I have always worked.
I can't afford to go to the doctors when I get sick and I have no
sympathy for anyone who can.
THe middle class hard workers that pay for all these programs
and can't benefit a dime from them will die off,
then who will pay for these programs?
THe rich?
LOL
Sure they will.

[mrpeatie]

I'm a grown man but I almost cried when I read that 43% of South Carolina's children are now on Medicaid. That is simply brutal. I know people hate to hear it but that is pretty much the definition of 'poor state.'

The news item I read said over 100,000 new people were put on the rolls in the last two years. I beleive that was a 13-14% icrease. Let's hope everyone in Columbia gets there act together in the next year because if we don't have more people back to work or start attracting better jobs this whole thing is going to snowball accross the board.