A ray of hope for those threatened by hospice cuts

State agrees to maintain care for South Carolinians on Medicaid

Want to get rid of a cold?

Swallow a tablespoon of sugar — mixed with kerosene.

Bruce Renwick of Whitmire throws out odd wives’ tales to his hospice social worker, Laura Welsh-Davidson, making her laugh (and cringe just a little bit, too.)

A victim of a debilitating and fatal neurological disorder that affects his muscles, Renwick is always looking for little things to say and do to keep his spirits up and entertain the team of hospice workers who stop by his home to bathe, clothe and take care of his medical needs.

He got a big dose of good news Tuesday. End-of-life hospice care for Renwick — and other South Carolinians who rely on Medicaid — will not be eliminated this year, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services and state Sen. Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee.

But it’s only a stopgap measure. Next year, the agency is likely to be searching again for hospice funding for the state’s poorest people.

In December, DHHS announced it would cut hospice care for Medicaid patients to help offset a $137 million state budget cut that totaled 15 percent of its base budget. As of Dec. 31, hospice providers were to stop accepting new Medicaid patients.

Unlike most DHHS programs, hospice care for Medicaid patients is not mandated by the federal or state government, said Jeff Stensland, the agency’s spokesman.

That made it vulnerable to state budget cuts.

“There wasn’t anywhere else to go unfortunately other than hospice,” Stensland said.

But Tuesday, Alexander met with DHHS officials and asked them to find some way to fund the program, which provides nurses, social workers and other caretakers for poor children and poor adults who are too young to qualify for Medicare or don’t meet other criteria.

DHHS agreed to do it and has begun accepting new hospice patients.

“I feel we can find some existing funding sources to keep the program alive this year,” Alexander said.

The likely source: a federal stimulus package, which has passed both houses of Congressand now is in conference committee.

It’s unclear how soon the $1.5 million would arrive.

The funds will pay for the state’s current 182 hospice recipients who rely on Medicaid to pay for all or part of their care as well as new patients who qualify for the care.

Annually, more than 1,400 South Carolinians rely on Medicaid to pay for hospice care.

GOOD NEWS

It’s a ray of hope for hospice recipients like Renwick and Tamra West, a hospice advocate with the Carolina Center for Hospice and End of Life Care, an association of more than 100 hospice providers in North Carolina and South Carolina.

“We’re delighted with the decision and look forward to working with (DHHS) to find a long-term solution to funding this,” said West, who has been working to halt the cuts.

Until Tuesday’s developments, hospice services for S.C. Medicaid patients were to end March 1. Some people would have been left to spend their final days in hospital rooms or alone at home without the hospice care they have come to depend on.

“I don’t think that’s right. It’s just not right,” Renwick said Monday, his left leg thumping uncontrollably in the living room of his Whitmire home.

Renwick receives visits from a nurse who checks his vital signs and medication, a nurse’s aide who bathes and clothes him, and a social worker who keeps his spirits high and assesses his needs. A volunteer and chaplain also stop by periodically to check on him.

“You have a team that looks at all of the needs of the patient,” said Edna McLain, director of Hospice Care of Tri-County. “It’s not just a nurse who comes in and cares for the patient. We look at the physical needs, the financial needs, how they’re coping, how their children are doing, environmental needs like do they need heat in their homes or do they need their house debugged.”

Last month, after Allison Stokes of Gaston lost her husband to lung cancer, hospice offered counseling for her two children.

“It’s been a month and they still call and check if there’s anything they can help us with,” said Stokes. “They offered therapy for the kids to get them through their grieving. They’re good people.”

By GINA SMITH
The State

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