x-sender: governor.haley@sc.lmhostediq.com x-receiver: governor.haley@sc.lmhostediq.com Received: from mail pickup service by sc.lmhostediq.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Mon, 6 Jun 2016 10:45:19 -0400 thread-index: AdHAAgvMWlEBdYOuTQKdnksGEy2mfw== Thread-Topic: Expansion of Medicaid From: To: Subject: Expansion of Medicaid Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2016 10:45:19 -0400 Message-ID: MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Mailer: Microsoft CDO for Windows 2000 Content-Class: urn:content-classes:message Importance: normal Priority: normal X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.1.7601.17609 X-OriginalArrivalTime: 06 Jun 2016 14:45:19.0262 (UTC) FILETIME=[0BE723E0:01D1C002] CUSTOM Mrs. Meredith Serafini Serafini RN VCU RN-BSN student 6795 Montgomery Rd Clover SC 29710 amesme2@vcu.edu 8049202173 8049202173 HEAL Expansion of Medicaid 67.197.238.51 Meredith Serafini 6795 Montgomery Road Clover, SC 29710 (804) 920-2173 30th May, 2016 The Honorable Nikki R. Haley Governor of South Carolina 1205 Pendleton Street Columbia, South Carolina 29201 Dear Governor Haley, As a concerned constituent, I am writing you to encourage Medicaid expansion in the state of South Carolina. This state's decision to deny federal funding for Medicaid expansion is creating a health care disequilibrium, putting those who most need services greatly at risk. While I understand the you currently strongly oppose this expansion, the result is that there are about 194,330 people in the state who are in the "coverage gap" with no realistic access to health insurance. They are the state's poorest residents, with incomes under the poverty level. Costs for medical visits are simply too high for this population, forcing them to either delay or ultimately forgo necessary treatments for both acute and chronic disease processes. When they finally do seek out medical care, their disease is oftentimes far advanced, even life-threatening. This not only indicative of a poorer quality of life for these patients, but an enormous financial burden on both the state and national level. I am a Registered Nurse who has recently relocated from Virginia to South Carolina. I have personally seen the negative implications that little or no access to health care has on the individual. Of course, reasons for poor health are multifactorial and include things such as geography, education level, low socioeconomic status, etc. These factors, however, should encourage us that much more to fight for and establish adequate health care provisions for this patient population. These people, many of whom are extremely hardworking citizens who have paid taxes thier whole lives but have simply fallen on hard times, should not be denied the medical services that you and I receive. Data analysis of South Carolina residents indicates that nearly one in five (17%) of people live below the poverty line, above the overall national poverty rate of 15%. In addition, 20% of adults in South Carolina report fair or poor health status. 15% of non-elderly South Carolinians are uninsured, which is again, above the national average. This data clearly indicates the many people who are left without coverage in this State. While I am sure you are aware of this information, I want to express as a healthcare profession my desire to see Medicaid expansion in this state. By denying Medicaid expansion, you are fostering an environment of inequality. It is not only individuals who will suffer from denial of Medicaid expansion, but hospitals and institutions as well. Uninsured residents will continue to visit hospital ER's, as it remains to be the only access to healthcare they have. This comes at in incredible cost to not only the institution but also the individuals who buy health insurance. The most shocking statistic comes from the evaluation of eligibility for the Affordable Care Act coverage for non-elderly uninsured in the state of South Carolina. Because the state has not expanded Medicaid, about 123,000 (or 20% or the uninsured) poor people in this state earn too much to qualify for Medicaid, but not enough to qualify for premium tax credits. If you decided to expand Medicaid, this coverage gap would be eliminated and 48% of uninsured South Carolinians would be eligible for Medicaid coverage, increasing the total share of uninsured eligible for coverage to 70%. Thank you for addressing my concerns about this important health issue and I would appreciate knowing your stance regarding this matter. Sincerely, Meredith Serafini, RN