South Carolina Governor, House Battle Over Prescription Drug Plan Funding

South Carolina Gov. Jim Hodges (D) last week criticized a state House Republican plan to fund the state's prescription drug assistance program next year through $20 million in cuts to cities and counties, arguing that local politicians' opposition to the proposal could jeopardize funding for the drug program. The AP/Charleston Post and Courier reports that Hodges said that "counties and cities would fight to keep their money and there would not be alternative funding" for SilverCard, South Carolina's drug program for seniors, which the state launched Jan. 1. Under SilverCard, uninsured residents ages 65 and older with annual incomes up to $14,162 (about 170% FPL) -- $19,678 for couples -- receive subsidies for purchasing prescription drugs. SilverCard members pay a $500 deductible and co-payments of $10 for generic drugs and $21 for brand-name medicines (AP/Charleston Post and Courier, 2/22). On Feb. 21, the state House Ways and Means Committee voted 12-10 to cut local funding to free up $20.5 million for SilverCard, which the state funded this year with its share of the national tobacco settlement (Harris, Columbia State, 2/22). Hodges hopes to continue using tobacco settlement money to fund the program (AP/Charleston Post and Courier, 2/22). "Once you take SilverCard money away, it will never come back. My concern is that there are 30,000-plus seniors ... who are depending on SilverCard to provide prescription drug coverage for them. And we've got to keep that coverage in place for them," Hodges said (Columbia State, 2/22). However, a "frustrated" House Majority Leader Rick Quinn (R) criticized the governor's opposition to Ways and Means Committee efforts to save SilverCard. "Does that benefit the state? Does that benefit this process?" he asked (AP/Charleston Post and Courier, 2/22).