‘We can’t wait another day:’ McMaster urges lawmakers to OK healthcare consolidation bill

Adam Benson
·2 min read
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WBTW) — This summer, one of South Carolina’s largest state agencies is being split in half in a move that proponents say will eliminate bureaucracy and make it easier for people to connect with services.

But for Gov. Henry McMaster and a majority of Republicans, restructuring the state Department of Health and Environmental Control is only part of the job. They want six others merged to create a Cabinet-level Executive Office of Health and Policy.

They are:

  • Department on Aging

  • Department of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Services

  • Department of Disabilities and Special Needs

  • Department of Health and Human Services

  • Department of Mental Health

  • Department of Public Health

It was on the brink of success last week, before an ultra-conservative faction of state House lawmakers killed the measure on May 9 — the final day of this year’s legislative session.

A January report by Boston Consulting Group found that South Carolina’s eight separate health agencies make it the “most fragmented of any state in the United States.”

Much larger states including California and Texas run their healthcare agencies under a single umbrella, for example.

State House Speaker Murell Smith, R-Sumter, said the consolidation bill is a top priority when lawmakers gavel back in this January.

But it could happen before then, as the General Assembly is set to meet three times next month for budget talks and judicial appointments. A two-thirds majority vote could amend those agendas, putting the consolidation bill back on the to-do list.

That’s what McMaster is demanding.

“That is a vital matter to the people of our state. There’s probably not a family in our state that’s not experienced some need for mental health or disability, psychological, drug addiction,” he said during a Monday news conference. “All things our agencies handle, but in no coordination.”

Opponents have said the creation of a huge agency that would employee 6,300 people and who’s leader would be picked by the governor would create a “health czar” in South Carolina that could act as a dictator if another pandemic strikes.

Lawmakers return to the Statehouse on June 5, June 18 and June 25.

“How we got to where we are now is really not the question,” McMaster said. “The answer is, they’ve got to get this done. We can’t wait another day.”

* * *

Adam Benson joined the News13 digital team in January 2024. He is a veteran South Carolina reporter with previous stops at the Greenwood Index-Journal, Post & Courier and The Sun News in Myrtle Beach. Adam is a Boston native and University of Utah graduate. Follow Adam on X, formerly Twitter, at @AdamNewshound12. See more of his work here.

Copyright 2024 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WBTW.