Access to Affordable Health Care

Community members and the community leaders surveyed agreed that the availability of affordable, quality and adequate health care is a key issue facing our residents. As more and more people lose their jobs in the current economy, the number of uninsured is increasing. People, at all income levels, expressed concern about finding preventative care, treatment for acute or chronic problems andaffording prescriptions or dental care.

Health Care in Today's Economy

Using 2007 data, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates 16.4% of all South Carolinians were uninsured. County details available from 2005 show high rates in Richland and Lexington counties, even among those who work: 18% of all residents in Lexington County were uninsured.
  • 16.5% of all residents in Richland County were uninsured.
  •  6.4% of children under 18 in the Midlands uninsured.
  •  88.5% of uninsured S.C. children live in families where at least one parent works.
  •  79.2%, more than three-quarters of uninsured children, live in households where at least one family member works full-time, year-round.
  • 35% of households in the Midlands whose income is less than $25,000 are uninsured.
Emergency Room care is the typical choice for those who do not have health insurance or can't afford care. In 2007, in Richland County, emergency room patients who were identified as "self-pay" or "indigent care-without insurance" averaged $3,350 per ER visit for 17,178 visits, for a total cost of over $55 million.  In Lexington County, there was an average cost of $2,782 per visit with 18,266 visits at a total cost of over $50 million.