Health Insurance in Darlington County, SC: 2027 Plans, Prices & Hospitals (Hartsville & Darlington)

If you buy your own health insurance in Darlington County, you have four Marketplace insurance companies to choose from for 2027: Ambetter from Absolute Total Care, BlueCross BlueShield of SC, First Choice Next and InStil Health. Together they offer 43 plans. The silver plan your tax credit is based on costs $666 a month for a 40-year-old at full price, before any tax credit. That is up from $531 in 2026 (+25.6%). Molina is leaving the county, and First Choice Next is new.

McLeod Health Darlington is in the BCBS EPO (with restrictions) and Ambetter but not First Choice Next or InStil. Carolina Pines Regional is in the BCBS EPO and Ambetter but not First Choice Next or InStil.

One silver plan sets the size of your tax credit. Its price rose 25.6% at every age.

Each company's lowest-priced plan at each metal level:

Ambetter has the lowest silver price, $657 at age 40. That is $9 below the plan your tax credit is based on. Because your tax credit is tied to that $666 plan, a buyer with a tax credit who picks Ambetter's lowest silver pays a little less than that plan's price after the tax credit.

Molina is leaving. Molina sold 12 plans here in 2026 and has none for 2027, so Molina members need a new plan. Our article on Molina's exit walks through the options.

First Choice Next is new. First Choice Next (Select Health of South Carolina) enters with 8 plans. Read our First Choice Next 2027 review for its plans and network.

Plan counts changed. Ambetter went from 9 plans to 17; BCBS went from 22 plans to 14; InStil went from 5 plans to 4. Every BCBS plan here uses its statewide BlueEssentials or BlueConnect EPO network.

The plan your tax credit is based on changed. In 2026 it was InStil InHealth Basic 1 + Adult Vision. In 2027 it is InStil InHealth Basic 1. The company is the same, but the plan and its price are different, and your tax credit moves with it. That is why we tell clients not to auto-renew without checking.

The table also lists hospitals in neighboring counties from our network data.

Networks and drug lists can change; we verify with the insurance company before you enroll. Last verified: November 2026.

• The BCBS EPO includes all four hospitals on this list, with restrictions at McLeod Health Darlington.
• Ambetter includes all four hospitals on this list.
• First Choice Next includes MUSC Health Florence Medical Center but not McLeod Health Darlington, Carolina Pines Regional or McLeod Regional Medical Center.
• InStil includes McLeod Regional Medical Center but not McLeod Health Darlington, Carolina Pines Regional or MUSC Health Florence Medical Center.
• Where a hospital is in-network with restrictions, confirm your specific doctor or service with the insurance company before you enroll.

Every plan here is an HMO except the BCBS BlueEssentials and BlueConnect EPOs; the SC Marketplace has no PPOs. Neither type covers out-of-network care except emergencies.

You rarely see a doctor and want the lowest premium. First Choice Next Bronze Essential is the cheapest plan at $530 for a 40-year-old, but its $12,000 deductible equals its yearly limit on what you pay, so beyond preventive care it pays little until you spend $12,000. Of the hospitals above, it includes MUSC Health Florence Medical Center.

You want the lowest silver price. Ambetter Streamlined Silver is $657 at age 40, with a $4,700 deductible, an $11,300 yearly limit on what you pay, $20 primary care visits and $3 generics. It includes every hospital in the table above.

You expect regular care and want a low deductible. First Choice Next Gold Enhanced is $700 at age 40, $34 more than the plan your tax credit is based on, with a $1,000 deductible, a $10,000 yearly limit on what you pay, $35 primary care visits and $5 generics. Of the hospitals above, it includes MUSC Health Florence Medical Center. If you need a hospital it leaves out, Ambetter's lowest gold is $703, InStil's lowest gold is $709 and BCBS's lowest gold is $814.

You want the widest choice of SC hospitals. BCBS's BlueEssentials and BlueConnect plans use a statewide EPO network, which can matter if you get care outside the county. Every BCBS plan in Darlington County uses it.

Your income is lower. Below 250% of the federal poverty level, silver plans come with cost-sharing reductions that lower the deductible and the yearly limit on what you pay. Our cost-sharing reductions guide explains how it works.

Call us and we will compare all four companies against your doctors and prescriptions.

With Molina leaving, a new insurance company and a new plan setting your tax credit, compare before you renew for 2027. Tell us your ZIP, ages, household and income, and a licensed agent will price every plan against your doctors and drugs. For the statewide picture, start with our 2027 South Carolina health insurance guide or the 2027 rate changes by county. Nearby, see Florence County, Chesterfield County and Kershaw County.