- BIG STORY: 600,000 in S.C. face huge health insurance spikes
- MORE NEWS: Thousands expected Saturday at No Kings protests
- LOWCOUNTRY, Ariail: It’s the trash
- BRACK: Trumpism is taking a terrible toll on country
- MYSTERY PHOTO: Location, location, location
- FEEDBACK: Send us your thoughts
600,000 in S.C. face huge health insurance spikes
By Jack O’Toole, Capitol bureau | A government program that more than 600,000 South Carolinians rely on for health insurance remains at the center of the federal shutdown that began Oct. 1. It shows no signs of being resolved soon.
Driving the fight is a battle over enhanced federal health care subsidies, first implemented during the pandemic. The aid helps 24 million middle- and lower-income Americans to afford private health insurance plans under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare as it’s widely known.
Congressional Democrats say they won’t go along with any plan to reopen the government that doesn’t reverse earlier GOP legislation that ended the enhanced subsidies — threatening 17 million ACA participants with triple-digit rate hikes heading into 2026.
Under the GOP plan, the average out-of-pocket annual cost for an ACA policy for a family of four earning $90,000 a year would jump by $3,735 – more than $300 a month, which puts health insurance out of reach for many. Another stat: A 60-year-old couple making $85,000 a year would be facing a $22,600 annual premium hike — about 25% of their total income.
In an Oct. 14 social media post, Democratic U.S. Rep. James Clyburn of South Carolina spotlighted the health insurance dispute.
“Republicans are the party of kicking Americans off health care,” he wrote. “That was true during Trump’s first term when they tried to kill the ACA, and it’s true now.”
But on the other side of the aisle, Upstate Congressman Ralph Norman, who’s seeking the 2026 GOP nomination for governor, claimed Democrats engineered the shutdown to benefit people who are in the country illegally.
“Democrats shut down the government for illegal aliens then got angry when President Trump made sure our troops got paid,” Norman said in an Oct. 15 post, referring to a Pentagon accounting maneuver that funded paychecks for active duty military members on Oct. 15. “Tells you everything you need to know about their priorities.”
Budget experts say Norman’s charge regarding Democratic priorities is inaccurate – or at best unclear – since illegal immigrants aren’t eligible for ACA subsidies or other federal health care programs such as Medicaid under federal law.
What ACA price hikes would look like in S.C.
Aaron Polkey is the president and CEO of the Palmetto Project, which runs the state’s only nonprofit insurance agency, Insure S.C.
In a Thursday interview, Polkey, who’s currently running for a nonpartisan seat on Charleston City Council, called the planned price spike a “disaster” for South Carolina’s private insurance system.
“Everyone is facing higher premiums, regardless of how they get their insurance,” he said. “Because if substantial numbers of consumers are pushed out of the market [by the subsidy cuts], that’s going to rip through the entire system, raising rates for everybody.”
To illustrate the problem, Polkey pointed to expected price hikes ranging from 111% to 231% for South Carolinians earning the median income or less — increases that would force about 150,000 to drop their insurance, according to the S.C. Hospital Association.
And with ACA open enrollment set to begin on Nov. 1, Polkey said it’s critical to get subsidies back in place quickly.
“We’re too close to open enrollment for the entire system to be teetering on the edge with this kind of uncertainty,” he said. “This has got to stop, because it’s giving the insurance companies no other choice but to publish these super-inflated price projections that [put everyone’s] backs against a wall.”
That’s a concern shared by S.C. Small Business Chamber of Commerce President Frank Knapp, who noted that only 21% of S.C. businesses with fewer than 50 employees can afford to provide health insurance for their employees.
“The Affordable Care Act is how these small business owners and their employees get their health insurance,” Knapp told Statehouse Report on Oct. 16. “And if those enhanced subsidies go away, we’ll have thousands of people who simply can’t afford their health insurance.”
Meanwhile, with the federal shutdown set to move into its17th day, University of South Carolina economist Joseph Von Nessen warned that the state would begin to see widespread economic impacts if a deal isn’t reached soon.
“Once we get out past the 30-day mark, we start to see the potential for significant disruptions,” Von Nessen said in an Oct. 16 interview. “That’s when more businesses are likely to be affected due to suspended government contracts and where federal employees begin to miss paychecks, which affects spending in the local economy.”
But for his part, S.C. Gov. Henry McMaster said he doesn’t believe we’re going to get to that point.
“I think the shutdown’s not going to last much longer,” McMaster told reporters on Oct. 15.
At press time, there were no public indications that Republicans and Democrats were in active negotiations to resolve the impasse.
- Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com
Thousands expected Saturday at No Kings protest
Staff reports | Thousands of South Carolinians are expected to gather at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at the Statehouse to be a part of what organizers say will be the largest organized protest in American history.
A coalition of civil rights groups is pulling together millions of participants at more than 2,500 event sites in each state, Europe and Canada.
The nationwide protests coincide with an ongoing government shutdown, threatening federal workers and services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations in several U.S. cities and the Trump administration’s musings about invoking the Insurrection Act to quash political dissent.
“We are under an authoritarian regime right now in the United States,” said Charleston County Democratic Party Chair Thomas Dixon. “But there are people who really want to preserve democracy.”
The massive protest follows the successful No Kings rallies that took place in June.
“The first version was very successful,” Indivisible Charleston organizer Kristy Kinney said. “It was the largest protest in American history, and it was organized by ordinary folks who wanted to show our dissent to this blatant authoritarianism.”
But despite their concerns about the current administration, organizers are calling on participants to remain peaceful, even if harassed by counterprotesters.
“The key is always to not engage,” Dixon said. “Continue to stay focused on the reason you are out. Nonviolent protest is the only means to success.”
Early voting set to begin October 20
With municipal elections for mayor and council scheduled across the state for Nov. 4, the S.C. Election Commission is reminding citizens that early voting is a quick and convenient way to make their voices heard.
The early voting period will run on weekdays from Oct. 20-31 at local polling locations listed on the scVOTES.gov website.
“Early voting is an increasingly important part of SCVotes’ mission to enhance voter accessibility,” said Interim Election Commission Director Jenny Wooten. “Building confidence and trust in early voting is another way we’re making sure every vote matters and every vote counts.”
Voters will need a valid S.C. identification card to participate, meaning a S.C. driver’s license, S.C. DMV ID card, S.C. voter registration card with photo, a federal military ID or a U.S. passport. For more details about in-person early voting or vote-by-mail options, visit scVOTES.gov.
In other recent news
2026: Norman pushes vouchers, spending cuts in governor’s race. S.C. GOP gubernatorial candidate U.S. Rep. Ralph Norman tells the Greenville News he “couldn’t care less about the title” of governor — he wants the job to get things done.
- S.C. candidates for governor trade barbs on child sex crimes prosecutions
- GOP candidates battle for top spot in SC governor fundraising race
- Wilson says hate crime ordinances must align with S.C. law
Elections chairman addresses recent firings. The chairman of the State Election Commission says the firing of the state’s top two elections staffers stemmed, in part, from a $4 million cost overrun for ballot scanners.
Cash discusses controversial S.C. abortion bill. Conservative S.C. Sen. Richard Cash, R-Anderson, discusses how a controversial abortion ban bill might be amended to allow for contraceptive use before fertilization.
S.C. lawmakers want to remove cost barriers to breast cancer exams. While federal law requires insurance companies to cover mammograms for women over 40, many private insurers do not pay the complete cost for further diagnostic tests.
May didn’t pay income taxes for years, House says. The S.C. House Ethics Committee has found that former state Rep. R.J. May, R-Lexington, failed to pay income taxes for years.
State rolls out mobile health units for measles outbreak. State health officials say they’re rolling out mobile health units to try to get a handle on a measles outbreak in the Upstate that so far has 16 confirmed cases.
- State to offer free measles vaccinations in Spartanburg County
- More than 100 students quarantined amid measles outbreak
Berkeley, Dorchester counties to get $9 billion in Google investment. The investment will focus on expanding the data centers in the two area counties in 2026 and 2027 to support cloud and AI growth.
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It’s the trash
Award-winning cartoonist Robert Ariail has a special knack for poking a little fun in just the right way. This week, he takes the increasing amount of pollution many see in the state’s waters.
- Love this week’s cartoon or hate it? Did he go too far, or not far enough? Send your thoughts to feedback@statehousereport.com.
Trumpism is taking a terrible toll on country
By Andy Brack | Perhaps the question of a generation is, “Who would have ever thought that young leaders of any major political party in America would secretly message each other that they loved Adolf Hitler?”
Since World War II, it’s been a given that supporters of freedom despised the former German fascist leader after he plunged the world into a global killing field. An estimated 75 million people died – 25 million in the military and 50 million civilians, including 6 million Jews who Hitler exterminated.
For decades, it didn’t matter what your political party was when it came to Hitler and the Third Reich. If there was one thing – just one thing – that everybody could agree on, it was that Hitler was despicable and what he did only needs to be in the history books to remind people how horrible we can be to each other. So it won’t happen again.
Fast forward to today. Just about everybody still will agree Hitler was a monster authoritarian, and that World War II was an Axis slaughter brought on by Germany, Japan and Italy.
So imagine the surprise of a nation this week when Politico published a story about how young wannabe Republican leaders glorified Hitler in a secret group chatroom filled with hate, antisemitism, bigotry and homophobia. And it wasn’t just a handful of people with scattered comments. The monthslong session stretching from Kansas to New York included 2,900 pages of Telegram chat and thousands of exchanges of vitriol that would make your skin peel.
“I love Hitler,” one Young Republican organizational leader chirped. “I’m ready to watch people burn now,” another said. And yet another: “They love the watermelon people.”
Disgusting.
America is becoming coarser, thanks to a grab-em-by-the-p***y attitude coming from the top. Allies who once glorified American freedom now are stepping back, cutting skeptical and angry side glances because of what’s happening here. The constant barrages of Washington lies, threats, theatrics, bullying, layoffs, firings and now a shutdown are taking an emotional toll on everyday Americans.
And that’s what the new fascists, like this subset of Young Republicans, want. It is unbelievable their behavior got little more than a slap on the wrist from a far from apologetic Vice President J.D. Vance: “That’s what kids do,” he said.
No, it’s not. It’s abnormal. But President Trump – as candidate, past president and current president – has been normalizing this kind of vitriol for years. It’s wrong. It’s un-American. We shouldn’t allow it to fester.
Some GOP leaders have been quick to vilify the kind of social-media-fueled bigotry that led to where we are. If this kind of castigation of improper behavior doesn’t continue, realize how this kind of mess could spread. Remember, this is the same kind of junk that spurred racist murderer Dylann Roof to kill nine people in a Charleston church in 2015.
For years, the American people have been absorbing this emotional turmoil being spewed in Washington and legislatures across the country. It’s wrong and people shouldn’t accept any normalization of hate and fear. All Americans need to stand up and let their leaders know that it’s time for real change. It’s time for civility and policy, not fear and division.
Last week’s commentary highlighted how so-called antifa is nothing more than a made-up movement by Trumpies to generate distrust. Fueling fear isn’t what America needs. We need to get back to what the Founding Fathers wanted – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, not despotism.
Frank Serpico, a New York detective lionized in a movie with his last name, once said, “The fight for justice against corruption is never easy. It never has been and never will be. It exacts a toll on ourselves, our families, our friends, and especially our children. In the end, I believe, as in my case, the price we pay is well worth holding on to our dignity.”
Don’t let the neo-fascists win. Speak out. If our ancestors believed democracy was easy, we’d be speaking German and Japanese.
Andy Brack is editor and publisher of Statehouse Report and the Charleston City Paper. Have a comment? Send to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Location, location, location
You may recognize this scene pretty easily, so let’s make the question harder than the image: What street is the photographer standing on in what town to take this picture. For bonus points, what cruise line owns the ship? Send your best guess – plus hometown and name – to: feedback@statehousereport.com.
Last week’s mystery, “Big white building,” ended up being harder than we figured. If you look in the middle of the building, you can see the tail end of the yellow logo “Continental,” which we figured would be an easy clue for the tire manufacturer in Sumter County.
A first
For the first time ever, last week’s mystery stumped all of our regular sleuths. The only person who correctly answered was somebody who lives in Sumter, Mark Partin. Congrats for being the solo eagle eye for the week!
- SHARE: If you have a Mystery Photo to share, please send it to us – and make sure you tell us what it is!
Send us your thoughts
Please send us your thoughts about politics and policy in South Carolina, but make sure to leave phone numbers and hometowns to help us verify them for publication. We publish non-defamatory comments, but unless you provide your contact information – name and hometown, plus a phone number used only by us for verification – we can’t publish your views.
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Statehouse Report, founded in 2001 as a weekly legislative forecast that informs readers about what is going to happen in South Carolina politics and policy, is provided by email to you at no charge every Friday.
- Editor and publisher: Andy Brack, 843.670.3996
- Statehouse bureau chief: Jack O’Toole
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