Expanding Healthcare Access in South Carolina

Issue Areas

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The Cicero Institute is partnering with bold leaders across the state to create a healthier future for South Carolinians of all backgrounds.

The state ranks in the bottom half of states for primary care and general surgeon availability.

Fortunately, there are three reforms the legislature can adopt now that advocate for breaking down barriers to entry for new providers and lowering service costs to ensure healthcare is accessible. Together, we can enhance the quality of care for all South Carolinians, guaranteeing access to the services they need without fear of financial ruin.

Three Critical Healthcare Reforms for South Carolina

Pharmacist Full Practice Authority
Pharmacists have the extensive education and experience to help gaps in provider availability, but legislative and regulatory restrictions prevent them from doing so. South Carolina should immediately eliminate the red tape that prevents them from providing everyday healthcare services to their patients, as other states have already done.

Telehealth Across State Lines
During COVID, most states waived the requirement that a doctor be licensed in-state to provide a telemedicine visit, but these waivers are rapidly expiring. Physicians should be allowed to register as telehealth providers with other states’ medical boards and see patients in the state so long as they are licensed and in good standing in their home state.

Expanding Physician Access
Highly qualified physicians with foreign degrees living in the United States are often unable to practice in their local communities or are subjected to arbitrary and burdensome licensing and residency requirements. That should change. South Carolina can increase healthcare access, particularly in rural counties and in primary care, and fix rising physician shortages by allowing additional skilled physicians to work.