South Carolina is next stop for presidential contenders

The presidential campaigns are rolling on to South Carolina, where about 20% of adults are in fair or poor health and where the number of the uninsured is higher than the national rate. The state, notably, has not expanded Medicaid.

Democratic candidates are likely to note that 160,000 residents could be covered under expansion and that the federal government is poised to extend the offer to cover all costs of expansion for the first three years.

Former Ohio Gov. John Kasich, who came in second for the Republicans in New Hampshire, stands out as the only Republican governor on the trail who expanded Medicaid during his time in office.

Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, boosted by his big win over Hillary Clinton in the New Hampshire primary, has shown no signs of backing down on his single-payer healthcare proposal, despite criticism from his primary opponent and the Republican candidates.

In New Hampshire, 63% of Democratic voters said they support a single taxpayer-funded health coverage plan for all Americans, and 70% percent of them voted for Sanders.

On the Republican side, Donald Trump also rolled to victory in New Hampshire after his second place finish to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz in Iowa.

Trump once said he supported a single-payer system but has campaigned on repealing the Affordable Care Act along with all the other GOP candidates. He has also, however, spoken favorably on more liberal stances, such as allowing Medicare to negotiate prescription-drug prices. In interviews, he has obliquely insisted he will “take care of everybody.”