Lawmakers face an aging challenge.

South Carolina has one of the fastest-growing populations of retirees.

What will happen as the aging population grows and requires increasingly expensive medical care?

80% of healthcare costs are the result of 20% of the population, Sen. Thomas Alexander, R-Oconee, said at a recent SC Press Association legislative briefing.

The most costly are senior and special needs services.

Video tele-health could offer a solution for memory assistance and temporary institutional care of sick, elderly, or disabled people, providing relief for their caregivers, Reb. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, D-Orangeburg, said.

It would allow healthcare professionals to see patients over video instead of them traveling to their offices.

Yet some rural areas like Orangeburg County do not have broadband internet access.

Limited internet access severely impacts rural communities.

Legislators will try to bridge the gap that leaves rural areas without physician assistance.

They will also face the lesser-considered consequences of the state’s opioid epidemic.

Besides the resources needed to combat the drugs themselves, the state’s foster care system is seeing a significant impact.

More children than ever are entering foster care after being removed from homes of addicted parents, said Sen. Alexander.

Other top health priorities include:

• Areas of mental health, including having a school psychologist in every elementary school by 2022

• Expanding federally qualified health centers

• Funding autism therapy services

• Crisis stabilization

• Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP)