Affordable health insurance for the individual, the family and the self-employed

South Carolina Health Insurance

How healthy is living in South Carolina?

South Carolina jumped six positions from 2006 to 2007 to be named the 42nd healthiest state in which to live, according to an annual update of ranking published by United Health Foundation.

The foundation looks at 20 factors in ranking states. A strong decreaase in children living in poverty as well as a decrease in uninsureds helped South Carolina move up the list.

The number of children immmunized also grew, boosting the state's rank in that category from 35th to 14th.

South Carolina has two dubious achievements. It is the state with the most violent crime, and the state where a student entering 9th grade is least likely to graduate from high school four years later.

The state breaks into the top ten in only one category -- the amount of dollars per capita spent on public health ($219).

See the United Health Foundation's latest findings on South Carolina.

Does South Carolina have a risk pool for the uninsurable?

South Carolina Health Insurance Pool
Toll-free Phone 1-800-868-2500, ext. 42757, or 1-803-788-0500, ext. 42757

Risk pools are state-sponsored programs to help people with a history of medical problems in their family to purchase coverage. These pools are for people who can afford to buy health insurance, but are not able to get underwritten in the private market because of a pre-existing health condition. These programs can vary significantly from state-to-state in price, benefits and number of people served. Often insurance companies doing business in the state are required to contribute to the poolto keep it in the black. In the best cases they allow people to be able to switch jobs or become self-employed without the fear of losing their health insurance coverage. Find more on risk pools here.

Cover The Uninsured's guide on finding health insurance in South Carolina

Cover The Uninsured is a national effort to highlight the fact that too many Americans are living without health insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders. Read more information on its efforts. It is a project of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Georgetown University's Guide to Health Insurance in South Carolina

Georgetown University's Health Policy Institute has researched and written state-by-state guides for finding and keeping health insurance. It updates these guides as federal and state policies change. A number of non-profit organizations contribute to funding its research. Find more on the Health Policy Institute.

Georgetown's guide for South Carolina.

News headlines on South Carolina health insurance

Find the most recent headlines on health insurance in South Carolina at Google News or Yahoo News.

Want single-payer health care? Concerned about the uninsured?
Contact your elected officials about health care issues

Contact your federal officials. Phone calls are best. Faxes are good, too. Since 9-11 postal mail creates long delays, and many members of Congress simply do not take e-mail seriously -- however, since e-mail is so easy it doesn't hurt to do that, too. Members of the Senate and Congress will usually ignore any correspondence that is not from their district, so its not desirable to blanket e-mail them (this type of abuse is why many do not view it favorably). The Electronic Frontier Foundation has a guide on how to contact your elected officials, including a valuable list of dos and dont's.

Contact the White House
Phone: toll free 1-800-671-7887 (ask for the Comment Line)
FAX: 1 202-456-2461 (fax)
E-mail:comments@whitehouse.gov
Find contact information on your U.S. Representative
Locate by using your ZIP Code
Or if you know who your representative is, simply call the Capitol Switchboard toll-free at 1-800-962-3524

Senator Jim DeMint
PHONE: 202-224-6121 (DC office)
FAX: 202-228-5143 (DC office)
Local offices
Contact by E-mail

Senator Lindsey Graham
PHONE: 202-224-5972 (DC office)
FAX: not available (DC office)
Local offices
Contact by E-mail

Contact your state officials:

South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford
P.O. Box 12267
Columbia, SC 29211
PHONE: 1-803-734-2100
FAX: 803-734-5167
Contact by e-mail
Contact your South Carolina State Senator
Contact your South Carolina State Representative

USNews health insurance rankings for South Carolina

US News does an annual ranking of what it considers the best health insurance plans in each state. Visit its reports on various health insurance or medical insurance plans being offered in South Carolina.

Official State Goverment Sites with South Carolina Health Insurance Information

Hands on Health South Carolina -- a resource by South Carolina's state government to help and encourage state residents to live healthier lives.

South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services -- manages the state's Medicaid program to provide heath care coverage for those who cannot afford it.

Partners for Health Insurance (PHC) -- South Carolina's program to provide Medicare coverage to children 18 and under who live in families with income at or below 150 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.