South Carolina Health Cost Comparison

Healthcare costs in South Carolina are slightly below or at the national average, but so is overall quality and performance. A single premium employer plan costs an employee an average of $776 compared to the national average of $723, with an employer contribution of $3,167 compared to the national average of $3,268.

Employees pay less than the national average for family premiums (20% compared to 24% of the total cost) with employers contributing more (80% compared with the national average of 76%). The state spends a total of approximately 21.4 billion per year (see Table 1 for a basic breakdown with comparison).

Table 1

	United States	South Carolina
Hospital Care	36.50%	38.40%
Physician / Professional Services	28.80%	27.70%
Drugs / Medical Nondurables	14.30%	16.30%
Nursing Home Care	7.40%	5.80%
Dental Services	5.20%	4.70%
Home Health Care	2.80%	1.90%
Medical Durables	1.50%	1.30%
Other Personal Care	3.40%	3.90%
Total	100.00%	100.00%

Performance statistics from the U.S. Department of Health shows overall performance to be below average, but improving (see Table 2 for a basic breakdown).

Table 2

Health Care Measures	Compared with National Average	Direction
Preventive Care	Below average	Worsened
Acute Care	Below average	Improved
Chronic Care	Below average	Improved
Hospital Care	Below average	Improved
Ambulatory Care	Below average	Unchanged
Nursing Home Care	Below average	Unchanged
Home Health Care	Above average	Unchanged
Cancer Care	Below average	Worsened
Diabetes Care	Below average	Unchanged
Heart Disease Care	Below average	Improved
Maternal and Child Health Care	Below average	Improved
Respiratory Diseases Care	Below average	Improved

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Sources:

The Kaiser Family Foundation, statehealthfacts.org.
Data Source: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Center for Financing, Access and Cost Trends. 2005 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) -Insurance Component. Tables II.C.1, II.C.2, II.C.3 available at: Medical Expenditure Panel survey (MEPS), accessed August 8, 2007.
Additional data was provided from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.