All hail Governor Sanford for doing the right thing for the right reasons, even though it’s likely to cost him in GOP-vote-rich Lexington County (my home, I always add). His veto message on the subject isn’t posted yet, but when it is, I’ll change this to link to it.
This was a bit of a nail-biter, as the governor could have interpreted "the right thing" two ways. Given his extreme libertarianism (you can tell an extreme libertarian by the fact that they even believe the market works with regard to health care), he doesn’t really believe in the state Certificate of Need process. But as long as it’s the law, he will not allow narrow interests to overturn it.
Now, to the override attempt. I was talking with Rep. James Smith this morning, and he says he expects a vote tomorrow. He’d rather have it today, but he said Speaker Bobby Harrell wants to give it a day.
"There should be no reason that this should not be sustained," he said. After all, the wrong side never had a 2/3 vote in their favor.
But he’s worried because some lawmakers who voted the right way the first time are — scuttlebutt has it — trying to hold up the state Hospital Association (which opposed Lexington Medical’s attempt to subvert the process through legislative fiat) for a little something in return for continuing to vote their "principles."
There will be a lot of phone-calling and button-holing today.
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The governor is right to veto it, because DHEC should be entirely stripped of the power to ration medical care. Instead of making a legislative exeption to a bad law, the legislature should begin dismantling socialistic regulations which arbitrarily deny medical services to patients by subverting the free market judgements of those in position to make the best decisions – patients and physicians.
Can anyone tell me why the governor and legislature even have a say as to what a private entity, a hospital, can do or not do? What crazy SC “law” is there that gives our government this much power?
It seems that if Lexington Hospital wants to engage in a particular enterprise they should be able to just do it. If they succeed, good. If they fail, good. It’s their money.
When the Baptist Hospital wanted to expand coronary care, Providence Hospital pulled every political string, including DHEC, to stop it.
When the Richland Memorial Hospital wanted to expand coronary care, Providence Hospital pulled every political string, including DHEC, to stop it.
Now Palmetto Baptist and Providence have hired 26 lobbyists to stop Lexington from expanding coronary care for the much larger population of Lexington County.
You can tell an extreme statist idiot by their belief that we have anything resembling a free market in healthcare.
We have more of a free market that the socialist rationing systems of Europe, but still too much regulation on healthcare markets here. This DHEC veto power over facilities is one such example of a market subversion which needs to be abolished.