SUPREME CT. MEDICAID RULING
Medicaid patients do not have the right to sue to visit a doctor of their choice. Thursday, in a 6-to-3 decision, the Supreme Court now allows South Carolina to remove abortion clinics from its list of Medicaid providers.
Of the latest available data, South Carolina Medicaid spent 35-million-dollars on family planning services in 2022-23. Of that, Planned Parenthood received under $90,000 -- or point 2 percent -- that pays for services like birth control, cancer screenings and sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing.
SC REACTION TO SUPREME CT. MEDICAID RULING
Many state officials have reacted to the court’s decision, including Governor Henry McMaster whose 2018 executive order halting Medicaid payments to Planned Parenthood clinics set in motion the legal battles which culminated in Thursday decision.
PLANNED PARENTHOOD REACTION TO RULING
Following Thursday’s decision Planned Parenthood South Atlantic held a press conference Columbia at the statehouse. Spokesperson Vicky Ringer said after the Governor’s 2018 executive order, her organization was hard-pressed to find health care providers for their clients. She said Planned Parenthood will continue to see their patients but will not bill them nor Medicaid.
CURFEW IN CHARLESTON
Beginning Friday night, a new curfew takes effect in the city of Charleston for teens 17 and younger. South Carolina Public Radio’s Victoria Hansen reports from now through August, minors will be prohibited from hanging out in Charleston’s central business district between the hours of nine pm and 6 am- seven days a week.
The curfew changes in August to four days a week- Thursday through Sunday. And, there are exceptions for minors out with a guardian, working or attending public functions. The new curfew is an attempt to cut down on the number of unsupervised teens getting into trouble at night. Critics call it unfair and say it could lead to profiling.
DAVIS DEENSE GROUP EXPANDS OPERATIONS
Defense contracting company Davis Defense Group (DDG) announced it is expanding its operations in Charleston County.
DDG is expanding into a larger office space on Remount Road in North Charleston. The $100,000 investment will support 30 new jobs.
