COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — South Carolina’s Medicaid agency is making it easier for people to apply for and renew coverage through the government health care program by moving the enrollment process online, officials told The Associated Press on Thursday.

The automation also will allow the Department of Health and Human Services to shift some employees from processing paperwork to initiatives intended to improve patients’ health and lower costs long-term, said John Supra, the agency’s deputy director and chief information officer.