South Carolina is the eighth-worst state in a 2018 national ranking of health care in the United States.

The average American pays more than $10,000 a year to health care or about 17.9 % of GDP (Gross Domestic Party).

But cost and quality can vary extensively across states.

The researchers looked at 40 signs, including the price of care, accessibility, and results, to discover the states with the best and states with the worst health care.

South Carolina came in 44th overall.

South Carolina ranked 46th for average ER wait time, 44th for the presence of telehealth, and 43rd for adults with no dental visit in the past 12 months and adults with no doctor visit because of the price of a doctors visit.

South Carolina was 41st for the number of nurse practitioners per capita.
South Carolina was 41st for the number of nurse practitioners per capita.

It also placed 42nd for life expectancy, 41st for adults with health insurance, and 40th for maternal mortality rate.

On a positive note, The Palmetto State ranked 1st for urgent care centers per capita, 6th for children with medical/dental preventive care visits in the past 12 months, and 8th in the rate of Medicaid approval by physicians.
It ranked 11th in the number of EMTs per capita and 14th for the quality of the public hospitals.

The state ranked 38th for at-risk adults with no doctor visit in 24 months, 37th for heart disease rate, 36th in the number of physicians per capita, and 34th for dentists.

It ranked 33rd children with no insurance, 32nd for the average cost of a dental visit, 29th in the charge of a medical visit and amount of hospital beds per capita, and 27th for average monthly insurance cost.