On the left, they’re calling it radical. On the right, the buzzword is bold. Either way, South Carolina is proposing major changes in Medicaid, the giant federal-state health insurance program for the poor and disabled.
The state says its proposal to establish personal health accounts for most of the state’s 850,000 Medicaid recipients will “redefine health care in the United States.” The account would be used to purchase private health insurance, or pay for care directly. And the amount of money allocated to each account would depend on the person’s age, sex and physical condition.
