Hospital & Medical Cost in South Carolina (2026)

Hospital costs in South Carolina typically run $1,300–$3,100 for an uninsured moderate-acuity Level-3 ER visit, with ACA Medicaid NOT expanded (coverage gap exists). South Carolina's combination of H. 3725 May 2023 phased CON repeal (one of the most recent CON-repeal initiatives in the country, completing 2027), Medicaid-expansion non-adoption (one of 9 holdout states leaving 200K+ in the coverage gap), inflation-adjusted $350K-baseline ($595K 2026) malpractice cap under § 15-32-220, MUSC Health + Prisma Health + Roper St. Francis + Bon Secours Mercy regional-system concentration, $39.50/hr BLS RN mean, BCBS South Carolina / Blue Cross Blue Shield dominant commercial-insurance market share, and federal-No-Surprises-Act-only protection.

State South Carolina
Cities Covered 0
Typical uninsured moderate-acuity Level-3 ER visit $1,300 – $3,100
BLS Registered Nurse wage $39.50/hr

South Carolina payer mix, regulation & malpractice drivers

  • Surprise billing protection: Federal No Surprises Act only — no state-level supplement beyond NSA
  • Certificate of Need (CON) status: Repealed Certificate of Need — partial or full CON repeal in recent years
  • Medicaid expansion status: ACA Medicaid NOT expanded — 100-138% FPL coverage gap exists
  • Malpractice non-economic damages cap: Hard statutory non-economic damages cap — $350,000 non-economic / $1.05M aggregate cap under SC Code § 15-32-220 (adjusted annually for inflation, ~$595K standard / ~$1.78M aggregate 2026)
  • Hospital price transparency mandate: Federal CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR Part 180) only — no state-level supplement
  • Dominant health insurance market structure: BCBS-dominant — single Blue Cross Blue Shield carrier holds 50%+ commercial market share

South Carolina medical board & physician licensing

  • License status: Statewide license required
  • License board: South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners — South Carolina Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (LLR) (official site)
  • Permit: South Carolina Board of Medical Examiners MD/DO license required; DEA Schedule II-V + South Carolina Prescription Monitoring Program (SCRIPTS); hospital privileging at Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC Health) / Prisma Health / Roper St. Francis Healthcare / Bon Secours Mercy Health; SC partially repealed its CON program in May 2023 (SC Bill H. 3725 signed Governor McMaster — phased CON repeal completing 2027)

How medical care costs vary in South Carolina

State-specific code or insurance rule: South Carolina Bill H. 3725 (signed Governor McMaster May 2023) phased the repeal of the South Carolina Certificate of Need program — one of the most recent CON-repeal initiatives in the country with hospital CON repeal taking effect immediately and the remaining ASC + nursing home CON repealed in phases through 2027 — and SC is one of the 9 ACA-Medicaid-expansion-holdout states as of January 2026, plus SC Code § 15-32-220 caps medical malpractice non-economic damages at $350,000 with annual inflation adjustment (the cap as of 2026 is approximately $595,000 standard with $1.78M aggregate cap).

Cities in South Carolina

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