Focusing on South Carolina
November 2009
Focus:
Uninsured in South Carolina Update
SC Statistics:
- South Carolina has the 14th largest percent of the population under the age of 65 that is uninsured (19.9%) when compared to all other states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.
- Congressional District 6 has the highest percent of underinsured under the age of 65 (22.8%) among South Carolina Congressional Districts.
- Horry County has the highest percent of uninsured under the age of 65 (25.8%) among the 21 counties that could be analyzed in South Carolina.
Why is this a public health priority?
The situation in South Carolina related to the uninsured is not a good one — one in five residents of South Carolina under the age of 65 has no health care coverage. As the national health care debate continues, detailed information on our uninsured population is needed to develop state policies and programs to enhance access to care and reverse the trend of diminishing rates of insured South Carolinians.
What is the role of SCPHI in addressing this priority?
In August 2009, the South Carolina Public Health Institute (SCPHI) released a report on the uninsured and underinsured in South Carolina. The report provides data on the uninsured residents of our state and highlights the need for more timely and detailed information about the uninsured and underinsured. As a follow-up to that report, SCPHI utilized data from The American Community Survey (ACS) released in September 2009 to provide a more recent picture of the uninsured in South Carolina. This month, SCPHI released update to the August report as a data brief. “Update on Sources of Data on the Uninsured in South Carolina” provides statistics and maps depicting rates of uninsurance by county and Congressional District within South Carolina as well as data ranking each state in the country.
Who are SCPHI’s key partners in this effort?
Office of Research and Statistics
American Communities Survey
State Health Access Data Assistance Center
