At first glance, the cigarette tax may seem far removed from public education. I have been a public educator for 23 years and I see the children of the poor and the working poor struggle with limited access or more often, no access to health care. These are the children that struggle in school and become dropouts.

Medicaid is the state-funded healthcare for our poor citizens. With the lack of funding currently in Medicaid, the poor are put on waiting lists to get a physician. Fully funding Medicaid through the cigarette tax would mean we get federal matching funds of $3 to every $1. With that level of funding, we could provide the necessary health care for the poor in South Carolina.

The new funding could establish a safety net of insurance for the working poor. Working people unable to afford health insurance or without access to health insurance are the largest growing segment in our state. There are currently about 800,000 people who are uninsured or underinsured in South Carolina. The state needs to set up an insurance pool that the working poor could buy into and get a basic level of health insurance.

We could make a difference in the lives of many, many families with this user’s tax. Marshall Meadors is the candidate who understands this issue and will work to improve healthcare and public education in South Carolina. Vote Meadors for State Senate on Nov. 4.

Mary Ellen Hammond, Anderson