Regional News From the AARP Bulletin
Source: AARP.org | November 9, 2006
January/February 2008
Political parties – AARP South Carolina is hosting presidential debate watch parties as the state's two January presidential primaries near and the push is on to inform voters about candidates' positions on health care and financial security.
Republican candidates are scheduled to face off Jan. 10, followed by the Democratic candidates on Jan. 21; both events will be in Myrtle Beach. The state’s Republican primary is Jan. 19, and the Democratic primary is Jan. 26.
For information on the Myrtle Beach debate watch parties—or to learn more about election issues that affect South Carolinians age 50 and older— call AARP South Carolina toll free at 1-866-389-5655.
December 2007
More choices, please – AARP South Carolina is pushing the state to invest a greater share of its long-term care funding in home- and community-based services. The goal is to give people the opportunity to choose between nursing home care and other alternatives, says Teresa Arnold, AARP state advocacy director and head of a panel charged with helping the state Department of Health and Human Services to bring more balance to its long-term care system. According to a recent AARP study, South Carolina spends less than a third of its Medicaid long-term care money on home- and community-based care.
A grant program slated to launch in 2008 will allow some South Carolinians to move out of nursing homes and receive Medicaid-funded care in their own homes. To learn about the program, call 803-898-2644.
November 2007
Snaring sharks – As AARP South Carolina continues to push for a state law regulating payday lenders, a group of lawyers — including state Sens. John Hawkins, R, and Vincent Sheheen, D — have taken such lenders to court for what the lawyers call "unconscionable" lending practices. The lawsuit claims payday lenders deliberately make loans to people who lack the ability to repay the debt.
Payday loans typically carry high interest rates and are supposed to be short-term but are often renewed. A study by the Center for Responsible Lending found that borrowers who take out five or more loans each year account for 90 percent of payday lenders’ business.
While some states, including neighboring Georgia, ban such loans, there are more than 1,000 payday lenders in South Carolina.
October 2007
Decisive issues – South Carolina voters are not yet sure who will get their vote in the state’s presidential primaries, but they are clearly concerned about health care and lifelong financial security. A recent AARP poll of registered voters found those issues, which form the core of AARP’s Divided We Fail campaign, were key concerns in the presidential election.
The survey was the first in a series that will ask 1,000 AARP members — 500 Democrats and 500 Republicans likely to attend caucuses or primaries in Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and South Carolina — about key election issues. In the South Carolina poll more than 90 percent of voters said issues related to financial security such as Social Security and pension protection will be important to their votes. For more findings, visit www.dividedwefail.org/polls.
July 2007
Smoke signals... South Carolina lawmakers are poised to raise the state’s cigarette tax, which at 7 cents a pack is the lowest in the nation. Both the House and the Senate Finance Committee approved cigarette tax increases in May. The House bill would raise the tax to 37 cents a pack. The Senate version would raise it to 52 cents a pack, earmarking $90 million for a state health care fund and $5 million for a smoking cessation program.
AARP South Carolina supports a cigarette tax increase. Several studies have indicated that a jump in cigarette taxes reduces smoking rates, especially among youth.
The state’s legislative session was scheduled to end in June. For an update on the legislation, visit www.aarp.org/sc.
June 2007
Listen up, candidates... In a state hosting one of the earliest presidential primary elections next year, AARP South Carolina is poised to bring attention to key election issues: health care and lifetime financial security. April marked the South Carolina launch of AARP’s national Divided We Fail campaign, which will mobilize volunteers to attend town hall meetings and ask presidential candidates tough questions as the election nears.
Meanwhile, AARP and the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies, a Washington think tank, have released a survey showing that African American voters in the state are dissatisfied with “politics as usual” and want candidates to address health care and financial security issues such as Social Security solvency.
For more information, visit < ahref="/states/sc/">www.aarp.org/sc.
April 2007
Freeze out fraud... The state Senate has passed a bill to protect consumers from identity theft, but the House has yet to act on the measure. Similar legislation failed to pass in the House last year.
The Senate bill (S 453) would allow consumers to place a security freeze on their credit reports, prohibiting credit-reporting agencies from releasing the information without a consumer’s consent. In addition, the bill would require businesses that discard personal information to destroy it so it can’t fall into the wrong hands, and to notify consumers of any security breach. The legislation also would ban the use of Social Security numbers on membership cards and in mailings. More than half of all states now have security freeze laws on the books in response to the growing number of identity theft complaints nationwide. AARP South Carolina supports the Senate bill as a step toward ensuring financial security. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/sc.
March 2007
Money where it counts... Now that Gov. Mark Sanford, R, has released his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, AARP South Carolina is urging lawmakers to support key provisions to expand home and community-based long-term care services and to protect hospital patients against infections.
Sanford’s budget earmarks $5.4 million in annual recurring funds for home and community-based services. The budget also includes $277,000 to roll out the Hospital Acquired Infections Act, a 2006 law requiring hospitals to report their rates of infections in an attempt to reduce the rate and protect patients. To support these funding increases, contact your legislator. To find contact information, visit www.scstatehouse.net or call 803-734-2010.
January 2007
Cleaning up hospitals... Now that South Carolina has a law on the books requiring hospitals to disclose the rate at which their patients develop infections, consumer advocates are lobbying the legislature to fund the program.
The 2006 law aims to reduce the toll of hospital-acquired infections in terms of deaths, illness and cost. AARP South Carolina is one of several groups serving on an advisory committee created by the law to carry out its intent. The committee recommends a $500,000 appropriation.
Federal health officials estimate that 2 million hospital-acquired infections sicken patients nationwide yearly, killing about 90,000 people. More than 30 states have passed or are considering legislation aimed at tackling the problem. In South Carolina, such infections cost millions of dollars a year in unnecessary hospitalizations. To learn more, go to www.aarp.org/sc.
December 2006
For the long haul... As state lawmakers prepare to head back to work in January, AARP South Carolina and other groups are urging them to preserve last year’s gains in funding for services that help people live independently in their own homes.
At issue is whether funds allocated for home- and community-based care in the 2006-07 budget bill will be a permanent state budget item. The current budget allocates $2.9 million for home-delivered meals, home repairs and other services for about 3,500 residents. Another $1.2 million will provide services for an additional 500 residents in the state’s Community Long-Term Care program. Even so, the program has a waiting list of about 2,500.
State Sen. Thomas C. Alexander, R, points to studies showing that older people who receive home-delivered meals have fewer hospitalizations than those who do not. He calls such studies “a critical reason to fund these services.”
To urge lawmakers to continue funding for such services, or for more information, call AARP South Carolina toll free at 1-866-389-5655.
—Reports by Donya Currie Arias
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