OTHER IMPORTANT ISSUES

1. Support an increase in the state cigarette tax to increase the number of children with health insurance.

Uninsured children have much higher health risks than do covered children. They are more likely to go without health services, may avoid or delay care when it is needed, and are less likely to receive the proper medical care for childhood illnesses such as earaches, sore throats and asthma.

Children without proper health care are at a greater risk of poor school performance. Early developmental problems are not diagnosed and addressed. Uninsured children are 25% more likely to miss school and are more likely to have behavioral problems than insured children. Undetected illnesses and health-related needs such as glasses impair a child's ability to concentrate and learn.

Increasing the state cigarette tax is the best way to both reduce youth smoking (confirmed by extensive research) and to provide health insurance for more children in our state. South Carolina's 7-cent per pack cigarette tax is the lowest in the nation where the median state tax is 80 cents and the average is $1.11.

Read more about this issue and current state legislation.