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Medicaid coverage South Carolina Ranked 20 of 51

Black Medicaid coverage in South Carolina

30

% of Black residents

About 30% of Black residents of South Carolina receive Medicaid coverage. South Carolina is a Medicaid non-expansion state.

US national average: 19 % of Black residents

Primary source: KFF Medicaid + State Medicaid Portal

What this means for Black residents of South Carolina

That figure runs materially above the US national average of 19.0 % of Black residents enrolled.

Medicaid is the single largest payer for Black maternal and infant health care in South Carolina, as it is in every US state. Beyond basic coverage, the coverage-specific levers that matter for Black health outcomes are: doula services coverage (which evidence shows reduces preterm birth and unplanned cesareans), midwife scope of practice (which addresses the obstetric-provider shortage in rural and majority-Black counties), and postpartum extension to 12 months (which reduces mortality in the post-delivery period when most maternal deaths actually occur).

The figures on this page are drawn from KFF Medicaid + State Medicaid Portal, which is the canonical public dataset for this indicator. See the References section below for supporting citations from MMWR, NEJM, and JAMA where the underlying drivers have been studied.

Policy actions

South Carolina has not adopted Medicaid expansion. Hundreds of thousands of low-income Black adults in this state would become eligible for coverage on the day the state expands. KFF estimates the state's coverage gap is substantially Black. The single largest Black health policy lever in this state is Medicaid expansion legislation or a ballot initiative.

Where to get help in South Carolina

  • Enroll in Medicaid or CHIP (South Carolina): Start at Medicaid.gov
  • ACA marketplace coverage: Healthcare.gov (open enrollment + special enrollment periods)
  • FQHCs serve uninsured patients on a sliding-fee scale in South Carolina: browse FQHCs

References & primary sources

  1. Primary dataset: KFF Medicaid + State Medicaid Portal
  2. KFF Medicaid Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity, State Health Facts. kff.org state indicator
  3. CMS Medicaid.gov State Overviews.

Data refreshed:

Where to go next

A number changes nothing on its own. These are the South Carolina pages that act on it.

Find a Black doctor in South Carolina Our directory of Black clinicians, filtered by specialty, insurance, and city. 230 community health centers in South Carolina Sliding-scale fees, uninsured welcome. Compare services and hours before you call. Medicaid in South Carolina Who qualifies, how to apply, and what the program covers. South Carolina county by county The statewide number hides the counties carrying it. See where you live.

States ranked next to South Carolina on Medicaid coverage

More Black health data for South Carolina

Maternal mortality Infant mortality Cardiovascular mortality Diabetes prevalence Breast cancer mortality Prostate cancer mortality Life expectancy Uninsured rate Mental health access

Back to South Carolina overview