The Greenville News from Greenville, South Carolina • Page A11

Product: GREBrd PubDate: 04-09-2014 Zone: GN Edition: 1 Page: News-F User: jharkness Time: 04-08-2014 18:22 Color: Wednesday, April 9, 2014 The Greenville News greenvilleonline.com 11A Nearly 100K state residents sign up for health-care plans ga, programs director for the nonprofit Palmetto Project, which has helped Low-country residents enroll in health insurance plans. Farmer said his department has not yet determined how many of the 97,387 enrollees are newly insured, because some of those customers may have simply switched from one insurance plan to another. In 2011, the U.S. Census estimated more than 700,000 residents in this state had no health insurance. Nationally, a new Gallup poll published Monday suggested the Affordable Care Act has helped reduce the number of uninsured adults.

The percentage of adults in the U.S. who were uninsured during the first quarter of 2014 was 15.6 percent, compared to 17.1 percent during the last quarter of 2013. Gaston C. Hyde Poplar Bluff, MO Gaston C. Hyde, 96, of Poplar Bluff, MO dren, Brenna Abrams, Justin Abrams, Tyler Hein and Devin Hein.

She was predeceased by her step-mother, Nell Surratt, a daughter, Jan Abrams Hein and sister, Karen Surratt. Funeral services will be held at 3:00 pm Thursday, April 10, 2014 at Epworth United Methodist Church by the Rev. Jerry Pickens. Burial will follow in Pinelawn Memory Gardens. The family will receive friends on Thursday from 1:30 pm in the church educational building.

Memorials may be made to Epworth United Methodist Church, PO Box 87, Joanna, SC 29351. McSwain-Evans Funeral Home, Newberry, is entrusted, www. mcswainevans.com Joy Elaine Surratt Abrams Joanna Joy Elaine Surratt Abrams, 85, widow of Robert Floyd Abrams, died Tuesday, April 8, 2014 at NHC of Clinton. Born on August 10, 1928, in Laurens County, she was a daughter of the late Jennings Ray and Beatrice Bell Surratt. Mrs.

Abrams was retired from Whitten Center, was a member of the Golden Age Club and a member of Ep-worth United Methodist Church where she belonged to the United Methodist Women Auxilary. Mrs. Abrams is survived by a son, Joe Sur-ratt-Abrams of Lugoff; sisters, Marian Johnston of Spartanburg and Jennie Rae Clayton of Blacksburg; a brother, Clark Surratt of Columbia and grandchil passed away, Thursday, April 3, 2014. The Original CD Locator and Financial Service Co. DON'T PUT ALL YOUR EGGS IN ONE BASKET! On July 2, 1968, he married Juanita Jewell Kearbey in Anderson, SC.

She survives. Funeral service were held Tuesday, April 8, 2014. Memorial contributions may be made to The Gideon's International, EO. Box 412, Poplar Bluff, MO 63902, or to United Gospel Rescue Mission, PO. Box 924, Poplar Bluff, MO 63902.

135 APY 6 Month CD 21 Ask about our IRAs, Fixed Annuities Life Insurance I 1 MfflH But some still need to pay premiums By Lauren Sausser Post and Courier Nearly 100,000 South Carolinians enrolled in a health insurance policy on HealthCare.gov between Oct. 1 and March 31, the director of the state's insurance department said Monday. But only some of those 97,387 individuals about 57 percent have paid their first month's premium, Director Ray Farmer said. The number of people actually enrolled may go up or down through May 1 the deadline by which that first payment must be made. Data released Monday by the S.C.

Department of Insurance shows a sharp increase in Obamacare enrollment in South Carolina during the second half of March. Approximately 30,000 people in this state signed up for a plan during the last two weeks of open enrollment. "There was a big push between March 15 and March 31 for people to pay attention and sign up and they did," Farmer said. The average age for South Carolina consumers who selected a plan was 44, Farmer said, and 89 percent of the shoppers qualified for a federal subsidy to lower the costs of their insurance. The federal government estimates 7.1 million Americans enrolled in an Affordable Care Act policy between Oct.

1 and March 31. It has not released state-specific enrollment reports yet. Open enrollment for health insurance ended March 31 and will not reopen for 2015 plans until Nov. 15. The Obama administration extended the deadline through mid-April for some customers who started the enrollment process but encountered problems signing up.

"Those folks can still go on and access assistance through the phone, online or in person," said Shelli Quen- Annual Percentage Yield and deposit amount subject to availability. Penalty for early withdrawal. All bank counts FDIC insured up to the legal limits per institution. Promotional incentives included to obtain yield. Certain estnctions apply.

Rates may vary depending on deposit amount. GN-01 0071 9842 James Sidney Colier Collierville, TN James Sidney Collier (Sid), age 79 of Collierville, TN, passed away on Friday, April 4, 2014, after a long battle with Parkinson's disease. Surviving are his loving wife of 55 years, Hilda Collier; one son, James Michael Collier (Lisa) of Collierville, TN, one daughter, Ker-rie Webb (Jim) of Eas-ley SC; grandchildren, Tiffany and Kristen Webb, Zackary Tyler, and Olivia Collier. Visitation will be Friday, April 11, 2014 at at Thomas McAfee Funeral Home, Downtown with service following at 1:30 p.m. in the Downtown Chapel.

Burial will be at Graceland East Memorial Park on Woodruff Road. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.thomasmcafee. com.

For 100 years, Trusted service. Close to home. avpars of Trusted jT Carrie Mae Boyd Edwards Greenville Mother, Carrie Mae Boyd Edwards, 68, of 215 Bluff Drive, passed away on Thursday April 3, 2014, at Greenville Memorial Hospital. Born in Reevesville, SC, she was the daughter of the late Joenather Rumph Boyd, and Virgil Boyd. Surviving: is her Loving husband, Bishop Herbert Edwards of the home, a son: Herbert (Karen) Edwards of Spartanburg, SC.

Daughter: Denise (Derricko) Stuckey, of Henderson Nevada. Sisters: Josephine Wiggins, Linda Boyd, both of Brooklyn New York. Brother Clay Boyd of Brooklyn New York, nine grand children, one great grandchild. And a host of nieces and nephews and friends, and a Loving church family. Visitation: Thursday, April 10, 2014, 7:00 PM, at Refuge Temple of Greenville, 8 Logan Street.

Celebration of Life Service: Friday April, 11, 2014, 12:00 Noon, at Refuge Temple of Columbia 4450 Argent Court, with burial in Resthaven Memorial Gardens. Wat-kins Garrett Woods Mortuary ZhomasmMcAfee FUNERAL HOMES FUNERALS CREMATION PRE-PLANNING Beverly Batson Greer Beverly Carol Bat-son, 75, passed away peacefully Monday April 7, 2014. Born in Atlanta, GA she was a daughter of the late Clarence O. and Thelma Ellison Hinsdale. Beverly was a loving and devoted mother to her children, Nana to her grandchildren and friend to all.

She was a member of Devenger Road Presbyterian Church. She is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Brad and Marilyn Batson of Greenville and their sons, Mark, Justin and Stephen; her brother, John Hinsdale; and her sister, Pat Sig-rist (Ernie). She was predeceased by her son Brent and brother Phil Hinsdale. A service to celebrate her life will be Thursday, April 10 at at Tie Mackey Mortuary with Pastor Stuart Latimer officiating. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the mortuary.

Burial will be private. The Mackey Downtown Chapel Southeast Chapel Greenville Simpsonville Northwest Chapel Cremation Center Greenville www.ThomasMcAfee.com SC group suing over county election boards law 864.232.6733 GN-01 00720476 tion boards violated the state constitution's prohibition against single-county legislation. Judge Thomas Cooper said it represented a special exception for Richland County's governance model, apart from already existing state law. But that law also is questionable because it essentially wrapped into a single law counties' various governance models. It was legislators' 2008 attempt to make some single-county laws constitutional, a year after the Attorney General's Office concluded they weren't.

To clarify things, Martin requested an opinion from the Attorney General's Office, which found the law isn't constitutional for the same reasons as argued in the lawsuit. "Act No. 312 is simply an amalgam of laws, each for a particular county," Solicitor General Robert Cook wrote in the March 12 opinion. "Even those counties which do have combined boards have different structures, compositions, depending upon the individual county. Thus, while the act may appear general, it is far from uniform, but is instead a collective hodgepodge of local laws." Such opinions carry no legal weight but are considered advisory.

If the Senate doesn't send Martin's bill to the House before May 1, its chance for passage is slim. Martin hopes the state doesn't relive the problems of 2012, when 250 candidates were kicked off primary ballots after back-to-back decisions from the state Supreme Court over improperly filed financial forms. South Carolina's primary elections are June 10.. By Meg Kinnard The Associated Press COLUMBIA A government watchdog group has filed a legal challenge to the constitutionality of the elections process in South Carolina, a move one top lawmaker says could complicate this year's races if the issue isn't decided quickly. Last month, the South Carolina Public Interest Foundation filed a request that a judge declare invalid a state law laying out how county-level elections boards are constructed.

The lawsuit, filed in Richland County, says that a 2008 law on combined county election commissions and boards of voter registration is unconstitutional. "Act 312 of 2008 is a collection of many previously enacted unconstitutional single-county and special acts addressing various counties in the State of South Carolina," attorneys for the group wrote. Sen. Larry Martin, Judiciary Committee chairman, has warned that such a lawsuit could make a mess out of this year's elections. The Pickens Republican is urging his colleagues to pass his bill, which would create a statewide model for combined election and voter registration offices.

"It leaves a cloud of doubt over the apparatus that actually runs the elections around the state. In my view, that jeopardizes our ability to hold elections this year," Martin said. "The State Election Commission cannot run elections without a local election and registration office." Martin's bill was a reaction to a ruling that a 2011 law merging Richland County's election and voter registra Joan Creamer Williamston Joan Elizabeth Russell Creamer, 67, of 714 Academy Street, wife of Lamar Creamer, passed away Monday, April 7, 2014 at Rainey Hospice House. Born in Anderson County, she was the daughter of the late Far-rell Calvin and Ida Mae Sargent Russell. She was a homemaker and a member of Faith Fellowship Ministry.

Surviving in addition to her husband is a brother, Charles Russell of Pelzer. Visitation will be held from 2-3 p.m. Thursday at Gray Mortuary, Pelzer. The funeral service will follow at 3 p.m. in the funeral home chapel.

Burial will be at Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Anderson. Memorials may be made to Hospice of the Upstate, 1836 Rogers Anderson, SC 29621. The family is at the home. Condolences: www.graymortuary. com Susan Hudson Greenville Susan Vera Pen-land Hudson, 62, of 25 Brookside Circle, died April 6, 2014 at Greenville Memorial Hospital.

A native of Greenville County, she was a daughter of Vera Boling Childress of Greenville and the late Wilfred Grady Penland. Also surviving are two daughters, Halimah Cleveland and Fahtmah Abdin-Rogers; a sister, Gail Penland Fresher; four grandchildren; nieces, Christy Lim-baugh and Ivy Harvey; and nephew, David Pen-land, Jr. She was predeceased by a son, Jamil Ibrahim Abdin and a brother, David Todd Penland. A memorial service will be held 3:00 p.m. Thursday at Pendleton Street Baptist Church, conducted by Pastor Marty Price.

Visitation will be held after the service at the church. The family is at the home of Ivy Harvey, 204 Merrifield Drive, Greenville, SC 29615. Online condolences may be made at www. thewoodmortuary.com.