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State Price Transparency Index 64 Mapped Hospitals 142 Shoppable Procedures −2% vs. U.S. Median (near the U.S. average)

South Carolina Hospital Rates

Compare cash discount rates, commercial insurance prices, and fair price benchmarks across all 64 South Carolina hospitals.

Pillar 1 · The BaseRate™ CompositeHow 1.00× Fair BaseRate Works: Raw price averages unfairly penalize hospitals in high-wage cities or trauma centers treating sicker patients. We adjust for local CMS hospital wage levels and patient complexity first. A 1.00× score means right at the fair price average, 0.85× means 15% cheaper than fair market, and 1.30× means 30% above fair market.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
0.98×vs. U.S. Fair Price Average
Position vs. 1.00× Fair PriceRight at U.S. Average (0%) 1.00× (center of the bar) is the U.S. fair price average after accounting for local hospital wages and patient complexity. Left of center (<1.00×) is below fair price; right of center (>1.00×) is above fair price.

Across 64 South Carolina hospitals, typical commercial prices match the U.S. fair price average (0.98×) after accounting for local wages and patient complexity.

Pillar 2 · VeriRate™ Data TrustHow VeriRate™ (0–100) Works: Hospitals are legally required to publish machine-readable price files, but some bury fake $0.01 numbers or omit cash discounts. VeriRate audits each file across 5 checks (hover any badge below to see what it tests).86/100 · Verified
86/100Hover Any Check Below to See How Prices Were Audited
File Completeness90Provenance (File Completeness): Checks whether the hospital published a complete, up-to-date machine-readable price file with valid CPT and MS-DRG billing codes instead of leaving blanks.
Price Logic88Coherence (Price Logic): Checks whether the hospital’s numbers make basic sense — e.g., self-pay cash price is lower than gross list price, with no fake $0.01 or $999,999 placeholder numbers.
Peer Alignment86Concordance (Peer Alignment): Checks whether reported prices sit in a realistic range compared to Medicare and nearby hospitals rather than wild 100× unit errors.
Clean Billing83Regularity (Clean Billing): Checks whether rates are structured consistently across procedures without erratic statistical spikes or hidden unbundled facility fees.
Real Cash Discount84Cash Honesty (Real Cash Discount): Checks whether the hospital offers a genuine self-pay cash discount that beats or matches commercial insurance rates instead of billing full sticker price.
Pillar 3 · South Carolina Market & Best ValueSummarizes statewide hospital price coverage across South Carolina, the average commercial markup over federal Medicare rates, and the #1 best-value hospital in the state.64 Hospitals · 142 Procedures
Hospitals Priced64 in SCTotal hospitals in South Carolina with verified machine-readable price disclosures indexed in the Crystal.
Avg vs. Medicare1.4× MedicareAverage commercial insurance negotiated rate across South Carolina hospitals compared to what federal Medicare pays for the same procedure.
Best Value in SC0.43× FairLowest confounder-adjusted hospital in South Carolina: Midlands Regional Rehabilitation Hospital (Elgin) at 0.43× fair market price.

Most affordable South Carolina hospital: Midlands Regional Rehabilitation Hospital (Elgin) at 0.43× the fair price (57% below benchmark).

Statewide Hospital Pricing Fingerprint64 South Carolina Hospitals Analyzed

South Carolina Statewide Hospital Pricing Summary

Across 64 reporting hospitals and 142 shoppable procedures in South Carolina, typical commercial insurance rates sit at 0.98× the U.S. fair price average (1.4× federal Medicare rates). However, prices vary by 5.1× across the state — from 0.43× fair price at the most affordable hospitals up to 2.18× at high-markup facilities.

State Price Index: 0.98× U.S. Fair AverageAvg Commercial Rate: 1.4× Medicare
Advantage

Best Value in South Carolina (Lowest-Priced Hospitals & Patient Edge)

  • Best-value hospital in South Carolina: Midlands Regional Rehabilitation Hospital (Elgin) prices care at 0.43× the fair price benchmark.
  • Additional low-cost leaders include Lexington Regional Rehabilitation Hospital (Cayce, 0.43× fair) and Anmed Health (0.65× fair).
  • Bottom-quartile South Carolina hospitals (Q25) charge 0.96× the fair price or less — comparing quotes before scheduling elective care saves 25%–45%.
  • Nonprofit 501(c)(3) hospitals across South Carolina must provide free or discounted charity care under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) income rules.
Watchout

Where South Carolina Patients Get Burned (High-Markup Traps)

  • Highest-markup South Carolina facilities reach 2.6× Medicare (Trident Medical Center in Charleston, Greenwood Regional Rehabilitation Hospital).
  • Prices for the exact same procedure swing 5.1× between the lowest-priced (0.43×) and highest-priced (2.18×) hospitals in South Carolina.
  • Emergency room, lab, and outpatient surgery facility fees carry significantly higher markups than pre-scheduled imaging or freestanding centers.
Most Affordable SC Hospitals (Bottom 25%)Best Value Tier
0.43× – 0.96× Fair

Led by Midlands Regional Rehabilitation Hospital (Elgin) at 0.43× fair price.

Typical South Carolina Hospital (State Median)1.4× Medicare
1.07× Fair Price

Middle-of-the-pack commercial rate across all 64 South Carolina hospitals.

Highest-Markup SC Hospitals (Top 25%)5.1× State Spread
1.35× – 2.18× Fair

Highest-priced quarter of South Carolina hospitals where shopping around saves the most.

South Carolina County Price & Affordability Heatmap 31 of 46 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

South Carolina County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 46 counties in South Carolina

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Charleston County6hosps
1.11× Fair
Income $84k
Greenville County4hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $75k
Richland County3hosps
1.09× Fair
Income $62k
Horry County3hosps
1.11× Fair
Income $65k
Spartanburg County3hosps
1.36× Fair
Income $64k
Beaufort County2hosps
0.90× Fair
Income $85k
Florence County2hosps
1.33× Fair
Income $57k
Anderson County1hosp
0.65× Fair
Income $65k
Pickens County1hosp
0.67× Fair
Income $59k
Chesterfield County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $48k
Jasper County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $64k
Hampton County1hosp
0.91× Fair
Income $43k
Oconee County1hosp
0.98× Fair
Income $60k
Greenwood County1hosp
0.98× Fair
Income $51k
Abbeville County1hosp
0.98× Fair
Income $52k
Allendale County1hosp
0.98× Fair
Income $32k
Laurens County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $56k
Sumter County1hosp
1.01× Fair
Income $56k
Dorchester County1hosp
1.02× Fair
Income $77k
Newberry County1hosp
1.06× Fair
Income $60k
Kershaw County1hosp
1.07× Fair
Income $64k
Clarendon County1hosp
1.13× Fair
Income $49k
Aiken County1hosp
1.19× Fair
Income $68k
York County1hosp
1.26× Fair
Income $83k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 46 total in South Carolina

All Hospitals in South Carolina (64)

Ranked by how their commercial prices compare to the fair BaseRate — best value first. Select any hospital to inspect its full procedure price list.

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Compare Prices by Procedure in South Carolina (142)

High-impact surgeries, scans, and hospital stays are listed first with the typical South Carolina price. Search any procedure below.

Browse South Carolina by Metro Area

Local hospital comparison pages for each South Carolina regional market.

Which Insurers Negotiate Prices in South Carolina

Across the 66 South Carolina hospitals that publish negotiated rates, here is how many hospitals each major insurance carrier has an in-network contract with.

UnitedHealthcare 55 of 66 hospitals
Aetna 51 of 66 hospitals
Cigna 50 of 66 hospitals
Blue Cross Blue Shield 49 of 66 hospitals
Humana 47 of 66 hospitals

Also negotiating in South Carolina: Molina (45) · WellCare (34) · SelectHealth (26) · Ambetter (Centene) (23) · Clover Health (20) · Devoted Health (19).

Prices are sourced from each hospital's federally-required public price file, most recently published October 2026. The BaseRate is a modeled fair-price estimate — not a bill or quote. How we build these numbers →