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SENATE ELECTS NEW LEADERSHIP
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Elections to determine the leadership of the Senate overshadowed most of the body's activity this week. With current Lt. Governor Glenn McConnell set to begin his new gig as president of the College of Charleston on July 1, President Pro Tempore John Courson (R-Richland) was set to ascend to the state's second highest constitutional office until he resigned his leadership post earlier this month. That left a vacancy in the President Pro Tempore's office and an upcoming vacancy in the Lt. Governor's office.
After some procedural motions delayed the leadership votes on Tuesday, the Senate elected two new President Pro Tempores and a new Lt. Governor on Wednesday. Senator Luke Rankin (R-Horry) opened the nominations by presenting Senator Yancey McGill (D-Williamsburg) for President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and Senator Nikki Setzler (D-Lexington) moved to close the nominations. McGill was elected to President Pro Tempore on a voice vote which was immediately followed by the Senate Clerk reading the resignation letter of Lt. Governor Glenn McConnell. McGill was then sworn in as Lt. Governor and took the podium to thank the Senate and his family.
Next, Senator Rankin nominated Senator Hugh Leatherman (R-Florence) for President Pro Tempore of the Senate, and Senator Setzler again moved that the nominations come to a close. This led Senator Shane Massey (R-Edgefield) to take the podium in opposition to Leatherman's nomination. Massey argued that electing Leatherman to serve as President Pro Tempore while also serving as Chairman of the Senate Finance Committee and on the Budget and Control Board resulted in too much power for one individual senator. He went on to criticize Leatherman for overseeing a "secretive" and "dangerous" budget process that made it difficult to know what was in the state budget plan. Massey concluded by expressing concern that the entire plan was an "orchestrated coup" to allow Leatherman to ascend to the powerful office of President Pro Tempore. Senator Tom Davis (R-Beaufort) was the only senator to join Massey in voting against Leatherman's nomination. Leatherman later took the floor to thank the Senate for their support and ensure members that he would treat everyone fairly. |
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HOUSE SUSTAINS STUDY COMMITTEE VETO
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The South Carolina legislature returned this week to consider gubernatorial budget vetoes, appointments and conference reports on bills being negotiated by the House and Senate. The House had the first bite at Governor Haley's vetoes and spent long hours in the chamber on Tuesday considering them. All in all, the Governor issued 76 vetoes accounting for just over $18 million of the legislature's $7 billion spending plan for 2014-2015.
Among those vetoes was a study committee aimed at looking at alternative plans for providing health care to individuals under sixty-five with incomes at or below one-hundred thirty-eight percent of the federal poverty level (FPL). Of course, this is the population that is being denied health insurance by the State's decision to reject Medicaid expansion. The goal of the study committee was to look at other plans to provide health benefits to this population like those being considered in Arkansas, Utah and other states that are attempting to draw down their federal tax dollars for the betterment of their citizens and economy.
Governor Haley used the body of her veto letter last week to continue her opposition to accessing these federal dollars in South Carolina. "We can be proud that we have again rejected efforts to force South Carolina to accept the Medicaid expansion under Obamacare. Unfortunately, this win for South Carolina's taxpayers has been put in jeopardy by Proviso 91.28, which creates an 'Alternative Health Care Study Committee' in an attempt to try and force this issue back on the table. I hope you will see through that ruse and sustain my veto," wrote Haley. And that's exactly what the House did. Although they didn't record a vote on the veto, the House moved to "continue" the veto, which ultimately results in the veto taking effect. The Senate does not get a chance to consider vetoes sustained by the House. |
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MEDICAL RECORDS BILL CONFERENCE REPORT
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Senator Ray Cleary (R-Georgetown) took the Senate floor this week to explain the conference report on H.4354, legislation that allows patients to request their medical record in electronic format and provides caps on what fees may be charged. Cleary explained that the conference committee had decided on the senate language which provides the following for each medical records request:
- $150 cap per request for electronic records calculated by a charge of 65 cents per page for the first 30 pages, and 50 cents per page for all other pages.
- $200 cap per admission for paper records requests calculated by a charge of 65 cents per page for the first 30 printed pages and 50 cents for all other printed pages.
- $25 cap per request on clerical fees for searching for and handling electronic and paper requests.
- If no record is found, the patient is exempt from the clerical fee.
- All fees must be adjusted annually with the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
The free conference report was received and adopted by both the House and Senate.
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CONNECT: HEALTHCARE + EXPO
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In addition to all of the other speakers and interactions happening at the first ever Connect: Healthcare + Business Expo, the SCHA Advocacy Team will share a briefing on the 2014 legislative session. Much of the activity this session may have been overshadowed by the issues surrounding CON. In addition to an update on CON, you will hear about other legislation that was passed or held up, including proposals likely to come up again next session. SCHA staff members will explain the implications of each for day-to-day hospital operations.
Also, please see the links below to feature stories on other speakers. Connect will provide a day filled with interaction, networking, and informative and inspiring speakers. Don't miss out, register today.
Ron Galloway, columnist, healthcare economist, futurist
Landon Powell, former University of South Carolina baseball standout, former professional baseball player, powerful patient story
If you know of any vendors or business partners that might be interested in an exhibit opportunity at Connect, please direct them to the website for details. And don't forget to share this information with members of the management teams and department leaders in your hospitals. We're aiming to have representation from department managers and leaders from most member hospitals. For more information and to register, visit the event page on our website or contact Lara Hewitt or Erin Watson. |
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June 20, 2014
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