Pilot Program Allows South Carolina Medicaid Beneficiaries To Receive Coverage for At-Home Care

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford (R) on Sept. 3 announced that the state's Medicaid beneficiaries will now be permitted to receive coverage for at-home services under a pilot program called "S.C. Choice," the AP/Charleston Post and Courier reports. Medicaid will cover care provided by relatives, friends or neighbors, according to Kathy Mayfield-Smith, a spokesperson for the state Department of Health and Human Services. State HHS officials will ensure that Medicaid funds are spent appropriately by assigning agents to help beneficiaries and monitor the spending of Medicaid funds, state HHS Director Robbie Kerr said. The program, the first of its kind to receive federal approval, will begin in Cherokee, Spartanburg and Union counties and expand statewide in 2004. The program will allow beneficiaries to stay at home, which will save the state money because community-based care costs about 42% less than institutional care, according to Kerr. "Anything we can do that empowers seniors and disabled people with choices that let them stay in their homes for longer periods of time is only going to enhance quality of life in South Carolina," Sanford said (AP/Charleston Post and Courier, 9/4).