S.C. House Rejects Medicaid Expansion

The South Carolina House on Tuesday rejected attempts by Democrats to extend Medicaid to hundreds of thousands of additional poor adults, before approving a $6.3 billion spending plan for state taxes.

The House voted along party lines — 73-45, 74-42, and 76-41 — to defeat proposals expanding eligibility while the federal government covers all but some administrative costs.

In separate moves late Tuesday, the House overwhelmingly approved spending plans for next fiscal year. Votes expected Wednesday would send them to the Senate.

The votes on proposed Medicaid amendments followed hours of pleading as Democrats asked Republicans to break from their caucus' stance and insert the expansion into the 2013-14 budget. Democrats made a religious appeal in calling expansion of the government health care program a moral obligation, frequently citing scripture concerning treatment of "the least of these."

Rep. Joe Neal, a Baptist pastor, told his colleagues they will account for their vote before God.

"If our citizens don't have access to health care, we rob them of all meaning of life," said Neal, D-Hopkins. "What did you do for the least of these? We'll all have to answer that question. Did we do what was right — what was fair?"

The U.S. Supreme Court ruling made the expansion optional for states. At least 22 states and the District of Columbia have signed on to covering adults up to 138 percent of the federal poverty level.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/article/South-Carolina-House-defeats-Medicaid-expansion-4348570.php#ixzz2NPv6PfYz