Letters: Honor Pinckney by expanding Medicaid

It was said about Sen. Clementa Pinckney that when he entered a room it was like “the future arrived” (“Other voices,” June 16).

This public servant/pastor was widely known for a special mission in his heart: He wanted the state’s impoverished citizens to have insurance for quality health care.

Should South Carolina not accept funds for Medicaid expansion, left on the table will be billions of federal dollars — our taxed money. An earlier projection indicated that Medicaid expansion could provide $11.2 billion for health coverage as well as $3.3 billion in economic output and nearly 44,000 new jobs from 2014 through 2020.

It is no wonder that Sen. Pinckney earned a reputation as a staunch advocate for this financial increase: The cry of our poverty-stricken brothers and sisters in the Palmetto State was not being heard.

What better way for South Carolina to honor the memory of this unforgettable champion whose life was so tragically swept away last year than by our soon deciding to expand Medicaid?