Palmetto Freedom Agenda 2025-26
Healthcare
Streamline State Health Agencies
South Carolina has far too many state agencies that deal with health—all with their own buildings, budgets, and staff.
Combining or coordinating these agencies would save taxpayer dollars and deliver better services for citizens, especially those with complicated health issues who are currently shuffled from office to office. Fresh eyes for 2025 should be able to find a path forward that takes 2024 concerns into account.
Healthcare Price Transparency
Patients across South Carolina have sent us their healthcare bills showing the sticker shock brought on by medical charges they didn’t expect. Patients deserve to know a good faith estimate of the price of a healthcare procedure beforehand, so they can shop around for the best price and care available.
A supermajority of Democrats, Republicans, and Independents in South Carolina agree. With the repeal of Certificate of Need, there will be more healthcare competition. That only works for the consumer if prices are posted.
Expand Telehealth Options
South Carolina receives good telehealth ratings from our friends at the Cicero Institute for modality fairness, membership in compacts, the range of providers who may use telehealth, and avoiding burdensome payment and coverage mandates.
But even with passage of two recent reform bills, the Palmetto State’s Achilles’ heel is still true telehealth freedom. We must provide an easier path for telehealth across state lines beyond narrow carveouts for certain types of providers.
TRUST PROVEN PROFESSIONALS
Scope of Practice Reform
The General Assembly can take a number of simple actions that will ensure that South Carolinians have more healthcare options.
Respecting Scope of Practice is one. Nurses aren’t physicians—we know that. But all medical professionals in the Palmetto State should be allowed to practice at the top of their training and certification.