SC Opening Medicaid Payments to Taxpayers

During most state’s budgeting time, politicians, good government organizations, the press, and interest groups often toss around huge numbers regarding the ever-increasing costs of health care services. Most of the time, taxpayers have no idea where these numbers come from, who these health care providers are, and how much each is actually paid for their services.

South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford is attempting to make that data accessible to the public through a transparency initiative that includes placing state Medicaid payments online.

GreenvilleOnline.com reports:

The move by DHHS, which administers the $5.4 billion Medicaid program, is part of an initiative by Gov. Mark Sanford to improve government transparency. It also will help DHHS locate “unusual billing patterns.”

Another site inaugurated this year lets taxpayers see administrative expenditures.
Aside from nursing homes and doctors, the site also provides information about dentists, hospitals and any of the other nearly 30,000 health care providers in South Carolina who participate in the Medicaid program. It includes their reimbursements as well as the number of patients they saw. More than 800,000 South Carolinians receive Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor and disabled.

The database can be viewed here, through the SC DHHS website.

Gov. Sanford, a potential VP candidate for John McCain, is on the right track on this issue.