Ways to apply for Healthy Connections
These are the channels South Carolina names on its own Medicaid pages. Use whichever is easiest.
- Online
-
Apply online
apply.scdhhs.gov
- By phone
- Call (888) 549-0820
- In person
- Local county eligibility office; also federally qualified rural health centers and most hospitals. Find an office
- By mail
- Get the paper application
- HealthCare.gov
- You can also apply at HealthCare.gov any time of year. If anyone in your household looks eligible for Medicaid, it sends your information to South Carolina's agency.
- Decision time
- Federal rules give the state up to 45 days to decide, or 90 days if you apply based on a disability (42 CFR 435.912).
Read on the state's own pages, October 13, 2026.
Key facts at a glance
- Pregnant women eligible up to 199% FPL ($51,380 for a family of three in 2025).
- Children 0-5 eligible up to 213% FPL ($55,000 for a family of three).
- Parents eligible up to 67% FPL only, no expansion adult category.
- Doula reimbursement: $1,000 per full perinatal package.
- Postpartum Medicaid extended to 12 months (effective 2022-04-01).
South Carolina Medicaid, topic by topic
Eligibility
Income limits & who qualifies
Healthy Connections covers pregnant women up to 199% of the federal poverty line ($51,380 annual income for a family of three in 2025).
How to apply
How to apply step by step
Apply online at apply.scdhhs.gov or call (888) 549-0820.
Doula coverage
Doula coverage details
Healthy Connections runs a Medicaid doula pilot reimbursing up to $1,000 per full perinatal package.
Postpartum extension
12-month postpartum status
Healthy Connections extended postpartum Medicaid coverage to 12 months, effective 2022-04-01.
Pregnant women
Pregnancy coverage in full
Healthy Connections covers pregnancy-related care up to 199% of the federal poverty line (about $51,380 annual income for a family of three…
Renewal
Annual renewal & unwinding
Healthy Connections redetermines eligibility at least once every 12 months under 42 CFR 435.916. During the 2023+ unwinding, roughly 69% of…
For Black families
Roughly 485,000 Black residents are enrolled in Healthy Connections, per the most recent CMS T-MSIS analytic file. The number understates true eligibility: every state has Black eligibles who aren't currently enrolled, usually because of the administrative-churn rates that rose sharply during the 2023 unwinding.
South Carolina launched a 24-month Medicaid doula pilot in September 2024 under H 3592 (2023), reimbursing up to $1,000 per package in the Upstate, Midlands, and Lowcountry regions. Charleston Birth Place and Reaching Our Sisters Everywhere (ROSE) coordinate Black birth worker training.
For enrollment help: look for your state's Navigator program (federally funded under the ACA), a Federally Qualified Health Center in your county (every FQHC has certified application counselors on staff), or one of the named community organizations below. Our FQHC directory filters to this state at /clinics/sc/.
More on South Carolina from Black Health
FQHCs
Federally Qualified Health Centers in South Carolina
Sliding-scale clinics that take Medicaid + help with applications.
Providers
Providers who accept Medicaid in South Carolina
Filter our directory to South Carolina by specialty.
Health data
Black Health outcomes in South Carolina
Maternal mortality, life expectancy, uninsured rate by race.
Sickle cell
Medicaid gene-therapy coverage in South Carolina
Does South Carolina Medicaid cover Casgevy + Lyfgenia? SCDAA chapter, comprehensive centers.
Hospitals
Safety-net hospitals in South Carolina
CMS ratings, Medicaid-accepting hospitals, and which facilities anchor care for Black patients.
Tool
Medicaid eligibility pre-check for South Carolina
Household size and income, in about a minute. Direct link to South Carolina’s apply portal.
WIC
WIC in South Carolina
Adjunctive WIC eligibility for everyone on Healthy Connections, monthly food package + Cash-Value Benefit.
SNAP
SNAP (food stamps) in South Carolina
Federal food assistance: FY 2025 max benefits, ABAWD rules, application URL for South Carolina.
TANF
TANF cash assistance in South Carolina
South Carolina’s maximum monthly TANF cash benefit, time limits, and how to apply.
Data sources
- Healthy Connections — state Medicaid portal.
- KFF State Health Facts, Medicaid income eligibility + expansion + enrollment tables (kff.org/statedata).
- National Health Law Program doula Medicaid project (healthlaw.org/doulamedicaidproject).
- March of Dimes Report Card, 12-month postpartum extension tracker (marchofdimes.org/report-card).
- CMS T-MSIS Analytic Files, Medicaid enrollment by race and ethnicity (medicaid.gov/dq-atlas).
- HHS Poverty Guidelines, 2025 Federal Register release.
Data refreshed:
If you have Medicaid, the coverage on this page is the route to use first: it costs you nothing and it is what these programs exist for. If you are not covered yet, there is still a free option. Our directory of free and charitable clinics lists centers by state. The option below is self-pay and is not billed to Medicaid. It is here for readers who are between coverage or who prefer to pay out of pocket:
Sesame Care
See a doctor online today.
Same-day video visits from $34
See a doctor today