Updated September 4, 2026. Quick answer: South Carolina’s Medically Indigent Assistance Program gives full hospital-cost sponsorship at or under 100% of the federal poverty level and partial sponsorship up to 200%.
This guide is limited to the cited South Carolina MIAP source and its stated scope.
What changes in South Carolina
- Full sponsorship for inpatient hospital services is available for eligible individuals whose gross family income is at or below 100% of the poverty guidelines.
- Partial sponsorship for inpatient hospital services is available for eligible individuals whose gross family income is between 100% and 200% of the poverty guidelines.
- A general hospital equipped to provide the necessary treatment can face a civil penalty of up to $10,000 for refusing to admit or accept transfer of a MIAP-sponsored patient.
- Nothing in the statute relieves a hospital of its separate Hill-Burton obligation to provide unreimbursed medical care to indigent persons.
Where this rule stops
MIAP sponsorship is a separate state program from a hospital’s own federally required financial assistance policy; a reader applies through the state program, not only through the hospital’s own FAP paperwork.
How to verify before you apply
- Identify the hospital or facility covered by the source and obtain its current policy.
- Ask for the current written policy and application instructions.
- Compare the policy with the official source below before relying on any threshold, discount, or deadline.
Related hospital-assistance guides
Primary source
Read S.C. Code Ann. § 44-6-150; S.C. Code Regs. § 126-535. Verify the current official text and the facility’s current policy before acting; this is a source-backed planning guide, not individualized legal advice.