South Carolina Medicaid Hospice Benefit May Return

The Associate Press reports that the South Carolina House has voted to restore funding for the Medicaid hospice benefit in the state.

The House has given key approval to a resolution forcing the state's Medicaid agency to restore money cut from a hospice care program.

The chamber votes 113-0 on second reading vote Thursday.

At a Wednesday hearing, Department of Health and Human Services Director Emma Forkner told House members she had to make gut-wrenching decisions after losing $137 million in state funds as $1 billion was cut from the budget.

That included eliminating the $1.5 million hospice program for Medicaid-only patients.

Renee Martin is a spokeswoman for Harmony Care Hospice and said care givers are delighted the program may not get cut. She said nobody should be forced to die in a hospital.

The Senate should get the bill in two weeks.