(Columbia-AP) Dec. 30, 2003 - A proposal from
Governor Mark Sanford to privatize health care in the
prison system is being criticized by state Corrections
Department workers. Some 300 - 400 prison healthcare
workers from across the state met Monday in Columbia at
the Francis Burns Methodist Church to discuss the
proposal.
Corrections employees say the proposal would cost
them their jobs. Workers also say the quality of care
will be reduced if a private company provides health
care to inmates.
Nurse Anna Moak says, "The retirement is the big
incentive for me. I'm 40-years-old. When I came on a
year ago with SCDC, I came because of the benefits
package. Now with privatization, we're hearing no
benefits, no retirement. So, that really does take away
a lot of the incentive."
Sanford spokesman Will Folks says the idea to
privatize prison health care stemmed from a June budget
hearing. Folks says the governor is interested in
learning if privatization can save money without hurting
services. The governor did not attend Monday's meeting.
Prison officials are waiting for bids from several
companies. One of the companies interested in providing
health care for prisoners is Correctional Medical
Services Incorporated, a private medical provider based
in St. Louis.
Moak says she and her co-workers are bothered that
many of the bidders are from out-of-state, "You're going
to bring an outside company into the state to do our
jobs, and we're state employees? We're South Carolina
people!"
Even if the Department of Corrections privatizes its
healthcare services, it does not mean that all of those
workers will lose their jobs. They could be hired by the
private company to continue working for the state
agency.
