Social issues

TL/DR - South Carolina is preparing to dissolve the South Carolina Dept. of Health and Environmental Services (SCDHEC) and split it into two different state agencies, namely the Department of Public Health and the Department of Environmental Services, by June 2024. A new bill, H.4927, proposes to further consolidate five other existing state…

TL/DR - The author describes his experience with medical bill confusion, highlighting how difficult it is to determine upfront costs of procedures due to opaque billing and insurance systems. Carolyn McClanahan, a physician and certified financial planner, recommends three steps to manage this issue: getting to know your insurance thoroughly,…

TL/DR - The state Public Employees Insurance Agency, which manages health insurance for more than 200,000 government workers in West Virginia, is facing resistance to its proposed 35% premium increase over two years. With the agency already facing a $376 million deficit earlier this year, the state Legislature passed a bill increasing health…