Ranked 3 of 15 states · median $636/mo · CMS PY2026
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A 40-year-old videographer in South Carolina pays a median $636/month for a Silver plan before subsidies — 3th of 15 on cost. The cheapest plan in the state is $456 from Ambetter from Absolute Total Care in Abbeville. On counties covered, South Carolina ranks 14 of 15 for this occupation.
Work that crosses county and state lines makes network geography the binding constraint. A cheap HMO that only contracts in one metro is worthless 200 miles away, so these pages rank states by network reach and flag the ones with no PPO on the exchange at all.
Occupational context: Heavy gear lifting; location and travel exposure.
Worth being clear about what this does and does not affect: a carrier in South Carolina cannot ask what you do for a living, cannot charge a videographer more than a librarian of the same age in the same ZIP, and cannot exclude anything you were already treated for. Occupation only tells you which plan structure to shop for.
Premium is set by rating area, so a videographer in one South Carolina county can pay materially more than one an hour away. Six counties from across the state, cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old:
| County | Cheapest Silver @40 | Issuer | Deductible | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edgefield | $498 | Ambetter from Absolute Total Care | $6,000 | 3 |
| Fairfield | $530 | Ambetter from Absolute Total Care | $6,000 | 5 |
| Newberry | $546 | Ambetter from Absolute Total Care | $6,000 | 4 |
| Chesterfield | $558 | InStil Health | $6,500 | 4 |
| Clarendon | $582 | Molina Healthcare | $7,000 | 4 |
| York | $613 | InStil Health | $6,500 | 4 |
The spread across just these six is $114/month — $1,372 a year for the same metal tier. Statewide the range runs $456 to $931. Coverage by County publishes all 46 South Carolina counties individually.
| South Carolina — network reach | 2026 |
|---|---|
| Counties in the state | 46 |
| Counties with only one carrier | 0 (0%) |
| Plan types available | EPO, HMO, POS, PPO |
| PPO available on exchange | Yes |
| Carriers filing in the state | 6 |
| Cheapest Silver @40 | $456 — Abbeville |
South Carolina has PPO plans available. For a videographer covering distance, that single fact outweighs premium: 0 of 46 counties here are served by one carrier, so an HMO bought in one metro may leave you out of network for the rest of your route.
Source: CMS Plan Year 2026 Qualified Health Plan Landscape file. 2,518 plan records across 46 South Carolina counties. Full-price filed rates before premium tax credits — verify at enrollment.
Cheaper for the same coverage: Indiana ($558), Ohio ($625). More expensive: Alabama ($680), Wisconsin ($687), Michigan ($708).
Side-by-side: South Carolina vs Indiana · South Carolina vs Ohio · South Carolina vs Alabama · South Carolina vs Wisconsin
Cross-state numbers are useful for understanding whether South Carolina is treating you well, not for arbitrage. You cannot buy an out-of-state exchange plan. If you are a videographer weighing a relocation for other reasons, the premium difference is a real line item worth putting in the decision.
Deduction categories that generally fit this trade: Cameras, drones, editing suite, vehicle, insurance. Note the ordering problem with health premiums: the §162(l) deduction lowers your AGI, and your AGI is what sets your premium tax credit, so the two calculate against each other. That is a CPA conversation and worth having before you enroll, not after.
If your household income is above the subsidy range, ACA is not automatically the answer. There are other categories of coverage that may fit, and they work very differently. That is a conversation, not a web page.
The cheapest Silver plan for a 40-year-old in South Carolina is $456 per month from Ambetter from Absolute Total Care, with a state median of $636. Both figures are full price before premium tax credits; most buyers pay less after subsidies.
It cannot happen on an exchange plan. Rating in South Carolina uses four inputs only: age, ZIP code, tobacco use and how many people are on the policy. Trade, injury history and pre-existing conditions are all excluded from pricing by law.
Yes. Plan types filed for 2026: EPO, HMO, POS, PPO.
South Carolina ranks 3 of 15 states covered here, at a median $636 per month. Indiana is cheapest at $558 and Nebraska is most expensive at $875.
Below the cliff. At this income a single-person household remains eligible for a premium tax credit in 2026.
This occupation sits above the cliff in 4 of the 21 states reported and below it in the other 17, so the answer changes with the state.
What this figure is. It is the median annual wage BLS reports for Film and Video Editors (SOC 27-4032) in South Carolina. BLS surveys wage and salary workers and excludes the self-employed, so it is a benchmark for the occupation in this state — not the income of a self-employed videographer. Premium tax credit eligibility is set by household modified adjusted gross income and household size, not by occupation, so treat this as a reference point rather than a determination of what you qualify for.
Why the cliff is back. The enhanced premium tax credits expired on 31 December 2025. For plan year 2026 the 400% FPL limit applies again, so household income above $62,600 ends premium tax credit eligibility outright.
This page compares states. For South Carolina specifically — county-by-county carriers, plan data and enrollment help — I publish that on Coverage by County, including a page written for Videographers in South Carolina and a blog covering deductibles, subsidies and special enrollment.
South Carolina has 6 carriers filing across 46 counties right now. That list is rebuilt every year, so what you can choose from in November may not match what you see today — and for a videographer buying your own cover, who stays matters more than the headline rate.
Rate filings for 2027 point to roughly a 15% median increase nationally, from −1% at one end to 54% at the other. South Carolina has not finalised, so treat exact local 2027 pricing as unavailable rather than unknown.
Mark November 1, 2026 to open and December 15 to act. That second date guarantees cover from January 1 in South Carolina regardless of how the current litigation over the enrollment window resolves.
In your favour: PPOs are sold in all 46 South Carolina counties. That is the type most likely to pay toward out-of-network care, and worth defending at renewal if your work as a videographer takes you around.
Nothing about 2027 is urgent yet, which is exactly why it is worth ten minutes now. Come November you will be choosing between South Carolina’s carriers under a deadline; today you can do it without one.
Give me a ZIP and I will tell you three things:
Rates for Videographers in South Carolina are set by county, not by occupation. Start with your ZIP and I will show you the plans actually filed where you live.