South Carolina Health Insurance

State Rankings

There are several prevailing healthcare trends in the Southern United States, and South Carolina embodies nearly all of these trends, both positive and negative. Like nearly all Southern states, South Carolina has a high rate of uninsured residents, low prenatal care, low numbers of primary care physicians, and high rates of smoking and obesity. Worst of all, South Carolina's high school graduation rate is second to last at only 62% of students. These figures do not bode well for a positive future for healthcare in South Carolina. On a more positive note, South Carolina has a very low rate of binge drinking and a high rate of immunization coverage, two important healthcare determinant statistics. Unfortunately, those two positives hardly make up for the abundance of negative healthcare news coming out of South Carolina. Add to that a higher-than-average unemployment rate and a low median household income and things are not looking up for South Carolina healthcare.

South Carolina Healthcare

Many of the healthcare outcomes in South Carolina are overwhelmingly negative. The state has the fifth highest rate of diabetes as well as the third highest rate of obesity. This problem is compounded by low levels of public health funding, only $72 per person, and a full 18% of people without health insurance, according to the Kaiser Foundation. The national uninsured rate is only 16%. While the present state of South Carolina healthcare is lamentable, the future is equally as bleak. Outcomes are equally as poor as determinants, suggesting that South Carolina needs to do more to improve its overall standing in state healthcare. Poor statistics means that healthcare in South Carolina may be more expensive than in other states. Luckily, South Carolina residents still have a wide range of healthcare plans that are rated highly by the NCQA: