Re-Elect Fletcher Smith

Healthcare is an important issue facing our state, and this week I, along with other House Democrats, have been working on two crucial healthcare issues that now face our legislature. The first is the Cigarette Tax, a measure that is now being extensively covered by the news media. The House has now passed the Cigarette Tax in a bill that will increase the tax on a pack of cigarettes by 50 cents. This bill is now being considered in the Senate. The new money that this tax generates will be used in three ways:

• Fund a Smoking Prevention Fund

• Increase Medicaid eligibility for low income families, children, and the aged, blind, and disabled

• Increase health insurance coverage eligibility for low income individuals

The second initiative covers our state's critical nursing needs. South Carolina only trains about half the nurses it needs each year, and this new bill creates incentives for new nurses. New scholarships, increased nursing faculty pay, and more research money has been granted to help bolster our nursing ranks.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns regarding healthcare or other issues.