Black uninsured rate in South Carolina
12.20
% of Black residents
12.2% of Black residents of South Carolina have no health insurance coverage — vs. a US all-race uninsured rate of 8%.
US national average: 8 % of Black residents
Historical trend
What this means for Black residents
That figure runs materially above the US national average of 8.0 %.
The Black uninsured rate in South Carolina reflects the interaction of employer-based coverage (lower among Black workers who are over-represented in sectors with thin benefit packages), Medicaid eligibility, and ACA marketplace uptake. In Medicaid-expansion states, the primary driver of uninsurance is eligibility churn and enrollment complexity; in non-expansion states it is the coverage gap — adults earning too much for Medicaid but too little for marketplace subsidies. KFF estimates the coverage gap holds roughly 2.1 million US adults, disproportionately Black and Hispanic.
The figures on this page are drawn from US Census ACS 1-year, Table B27010, 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 your state
- 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
- Primary dataset: US Census ACS 1-year, Table B27010
- US Census Bureau. Health Insurance Coverage in the United States. Annual P60 report.
- KFF. Key Facts on Health Coverage by Race and Ethnicity. Annual brief.
Data refreshed: