South Carolina's waiver proposal is based on the untested and unrealistic assumption that the private sector can quickly jump in and deliver essential health care services to hundreds of thousands of South Carolinians at less cost than the current program without allowing people to fall through the cracks.

189

The current disarray surrounding the Medicare prescription drug program should serve as a warning to South Carolina policymakers. Like South Carolina's proposal, the Medicare prescription drug program is extremely complex and relies heavily on the private sector. Problems with implementation of the new Medicare drug program have left many low-income seniors without needed prescriptions.

91