New federal regulations and SC’s healthcare system

By Mike Switzer

Published February 5, 2026 at 6:30 AM EST

Thornton Kirby, CEO of the South Carolina Hospital Association in Columbia, SC

While the certificate of need requirement for new hospitals to be built in our state was mostly repealed a couple of years ago, our healthcare system still faces significant challenges. One uncertainty may be the impact of the new tax law and other new federal regulations. Mike Switzer interviews Thornton Kirby, CEO of the South Carolina Hospital Association in Columbia, SC.

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Mike Switzer

After almost 20 years, Mike Switzer retired from Wells Fargo Securities in 2001 as Senior Vice President/Investment Officer and Certified Portfolio Manager. In 1999, he and his wife, Maggie, purchased and operated for eight years the Baskin Robbins ice cream store on Forest Drive in Columbia. They grew the store from a bottom-tier operation in the Baskin Robbins franchise system to one in the top 5% nationwide within three years, tripling sales along the way. While operating the ice cream store, Mike and Maggie received patents for a portable ice cream sink and fold-down sneezeguard they invented and in 2002 started Magnolia Carts, an ice cream cart manufacturing company, which they sold in 2013.

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