This bill increases the tax on cigarettes to 1.85 cents a cigarette. The legislation provides that not less than fifteen million dollars of cigarette license tax revenues must be appropriated annually to the State Board for Technical and Comprehensive Education for the Allied Healthcare Initiative and not less than ten million dollars must be appropriated to the Commission on Higher Education for the Critical Needs Nursing Initiative Fund. The legislation provides that the balance of the revenue must be appropriated annually to the Nursing Education Scholarship Fund which is created under the legislation for the purpose of providing scholarships covering tuition, fees, and books for instate students enrolled in two year and four year nursing programs at the state’s public institutions of higher learning.  

This bill imposes an additional tax of 1.5 cents per cigarette. The legislation establishes the Smoking Cessation and Health Care Fund into which must be deposited fifty percent of the revenue generated from the imposition of this tax and which must be administered by the Department of Health and Human Services for reimbursement of an individual’s personal expenses related to smoking cessation and smoking related health care devices, equipment, and programs. The legislation provides that the remaining revenue generated by this tax must be credited to the general fund and appropriated annually by the General Assembly to address health needs of South Carolinians, including using such funds for Medicaid matching funds.  

This bill enacts the " Healthy Communities Capacity Act. " The legislation establishes the Small Business Health Insurance Premium Assistance Program within the Department of Health and Human Services to provide health insurance premium assistance to small businesses for employees who are at or under two hundred percent of the federal poverty level. The legislation establishes eligibility criteria for small businesses to participate in the program. Eligible employees are required to contribute up to fifteen percent of the premium cost. The legislation requires the department to place caps on the number of employees that may enroll in the program so that no more funds are expended than are available for this program from the Medicaid Match Fund. The legislation provides that this program must be funded from a portion of an additional 4.65 cents per cigarette license tax which must be adjusted annually based on the Consumer Price Index. The legislation directs the department to apply for a Medicaid waiver to implement this program. The legislation provides that the department shall provide Medicaid coverage to children eighteen years of age and younger whose family incomes do not exceed two hundred percent of the federal poverty level. The legislation creates the Medicaid Match Fund into which a portion of the additional cigarette tax must be deposited. The legislation provides for an additional 4.65 cent license tax on each cigarette to fund the Small Business Health Insurance Premium Program and provides for the distribution of the remaining portion of this additional tax to the Department of Health and Environmental Control, the Parks and Recreation Development Fund, the State Department of Education, and the Department of Agriculture. The legislation establishes the Second Chance Quit Assistance Program within the Department of Health and Human Services to provide additional counseling to expanded smoking cessation services for Medicaid smokers who have unsuccessfully attempted to quit smoking under current Medicaid programs. The legislation directs the department to apply for a Medicaid waiver for this program. The legislation provides that funding for this program must be provided from the Medicaid Match Fund. Under the legislation, funding for the Small Business Health Insurance Premium Assistance Program takes priority over the Second Chance Quit Assistance Program.

This bill deletes all provisions relating to the State Certification of Need Program for health facilities carried out by the Department of Health and Environmental Control.

This bill imposes an additional tax on cigarettes equal to 1.25 cents on each cigarette. The legislation creates the Medicaid Reserve Account of the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and provides for its sources of revenue including the revenues of the tax imposed under this legislation. The legislation provides for the uses of fund revenues. The legislation requires a balance in this fund equal to one and one-half percent of the total appropriations authorized for the Medicaid program for the current fiscal year. The legislation provides that revenues of this additional tax in excess of amounts necessary to restore and maintain the Medicaid Reserve Account at the required level must first be credited to the General Reserve Fund and thereafter to the General Fund of the state.

This bill imposes a surtax on each cigarette in an amount of four and sixty-five hundredths cents and provides for the crediting of the revenue from the surtax to a Medicaid Trust Fund and a Health Care Access Trust Fund created under the legislation. The legislation provides for the use of the Medicaid Trust Fund for additional coverage for the State Children’s Health Insurance Program to two hundred fifty percent of the federal poverty level and, with any excess funds, for Medicaid services to low income families with incomes up to one hundred percent of the prevailing poverty level. The legislation provides for annual reports on the Medicaid Trust Fund. The legislation establishes the Health Care Premium Assistance Program for the purpose of providing premium assistance in the average amount of two thousand dollars to an eligible individual toward the purchase of a qualifying health insurance plan. The legislation establishes eligibility requirements, provides for the certification process, defines the qualifying individually or employer-sponsored insurance plans, and provides for administration and reporting by the Department of Insurance. The legislation creates the Health Care Access Program as a self-sustaining and financially independent portion of the premium assistance pool, and provides for eligibility requirements, administration, operating guidelines, and reporting by the Department of Insurance.

A joint resolution to provide that the Department of Health and Human Services, when adjusting its budget in response to revenue reductions, is required to maintain funding for hospice services at the level in place on December 31, 2008.

This joint resolution creates a joint pharmacist administered vaccines committee as an advisory committee to the Board of Medical Examiners and the Board of Pharmacy in establishing a written protocol for the purpose of authorizing pharmacists to administer certain vaccinations without an order of a practitioner. This advisory committee will consist of five members: two members from the Board of Medical Examiners; two members from the Board of Pharmacy; and one representative of the Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Immunization Division.

This legislation adds that an attending physician who reports a fetal death shall provide a copy of the fetal death report to a funeral director handling funeral arrangements upon request within twenty-four hours of fetal death.  

A hospital that schedules a nurse employee to work a specific number of hours in a shift may not reduce the number of hours the nurse may work during the shift within twenty-four hours of when the shift begins, unless the hospital compensates the nurse for the entire number of hours the nurse was scheduled to work.

Provides that the optional alcohol exclusion provision contained in certain insurance policies that require the replication of exact language as provided in section 38-71-370 does not apply to a medical expense policy, and defines medical expense policy.

H.3773 HOSPITALS PROHIBITED FROM CHARGING UNINSURED PATIENTS FEES IN EXCESS OF THE MAXIMUM FEES CHARGED TO INSURED PATIENTS FOR THE SAME SERVICES Rep. J. H. Neal
This bill provides that a hospital licensed in this State may not charge uninsured patients fees for services rendered that are in excess of the maximum fees charged for the same services rendered to insured patients.

S.74 HOSPITALS PROHIBITED FROM CHARGING UNINSURED PATIENTS FEES IN EXCESS OF THE MAXIMUM FEES CHARGED TO INSURED PATIENTS FOR THE SAME SERVICES Sen Ford 
This bill provides that a hospital licensed in this State may not charge uninsured patients fees for services rendered that are in excess of the maximum fees charged for the same services rendered to insured patients.

PROVIDES THAT THE OPTIONAL ALCOHOL EXCLUSION PROVISION CONTAINED IN CERTAIN INSURANCE POLICIES THAT REQUIRE THE REPLICATION OF EXACT LANGUAGE AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 38-71-370 DOES NOT APPLY TO A MEDICAL EXPENSE POLICY, AND TO DEFINE MEDICAL EXPENSE POLICY.

SMA Subcommittee Members: Senators Larry Martin (ch), David Thomas, Robert Ford, Nikki Setzler & Tom Davis