South Carolina Will Conduct ‘Top-to-Bottom’ Review of State Medicaid Program

South Carolina lawmakers on Aug. 13 announced plans to conduct a "top-to-bottom" audit of the state's Medicaid program and offer suggestions to "reform spending," the Columbia State reports. Lawmakers said they will use the review's findings when planning next year's budget. For fiscal year 2002-2003, the state's Medicaid program, administered through the state Department of Health and Human Services, received $3 billion in federal and state funding to serve some 800,000 residents. Earlier this year, state lawmakers struggled to find ways to fill Medicaid budget gaps "amid dwindling state revenue," the State reports. State Senate Finance Committee Chair Hugh Leatherman (R) said, "It's time to look at the management of this program to determine how to reform it and make it better for the recipients and more cost-effective for the taxpayers." State HHS spokesperson Frank Adams said, "We believe once you take a good hard look at it, you'll understand quite honestly that one, it's a value health-wise. It's a value economically-wise, and it's a value to the taxpayers because if this program didn't exist, our local hospitals would be required to provide services" without reimbursement. Saying that he hoped the review would bring "measurable results," Gov. Jim Hodges (D) added, "We seem to have an endless series of study groups that are going on right now. ... Soon[er] or later you have to take the final exam. You can't study forever" (Harris, Columbia State, 8/14).