How to Renew South Carolina Medicaid
Updated August 2026
Healthy Connections coverage is renewed annually. SCDHHS reviews your eligibility once per year and sends a renewal notice before your renewal date. The notice may be a renewal form to complete, or a notice that your coverage was automatically renewed based on data already in SCDHHS's systems — called ex parte renewal.
Annual
Renewal frequency
scdhhs.gov
Online renewal portal
10 days
Deadline to report changes
South Carolina had significant coverage losses during the 2023-2024 Medicaid unwinding
When continuous enrollment ended in April 2023, South Carolina disenrolled more members per capita than the national average, per KFF analysis. As a non-expansion state with narrow eligibility, many adults who lost coverage during unwinding had limited options for alternative coverage. If you lost Healthy Connections coverage in 2023 or 2024, reapply — you may still qualify, particularly if your household situation has changed.
How Healthy Connections renewal works
If SCDHHS can confirm your eligibility through data matches (income records, Social Security data, DMV records), your coverage renews without action on your part and you'll receive a notice confirming renewal. If SCDHHS cannot confirm eligibility from existing data, a renewal packet will be mailed to the address on file. You must respond within the specified time — typically 30 days — to avoid losing coverage.
If you do not respond to a renewal notice, SCDHHS will terminate your coverage. You can reapply at any time, but there may be a gap in coverage while the new application is processed.
How to renew your Healthy Connections coverage
Keeping your mailing address current with SCDHHS is essential. Renewal notices mailed to an outdated address may result in coverage termination even if you are still eligible.
- Online at scdhhs.gov or apply.scdhhs.gov — log in to your account and respond to the renewal notice
- By phone — call the Member Help Center at 1-888-549-0820
- In person at your local SCDHHS county office
- By mail — complete the renewal form sent to you and return it to the address on the form
Changes to report during the year
South Carolina requires members to report certain changes within 10 days. Unreported changes that affect eligibility can result in overpayments that SCDHHS may seek to recover.
- Change of address
- Change in household income — gaining or losing employment
- Change in household members — marriage, divorce, new child, someone moving in or out
- Obtaining or losing other health insurance coverage
- Change in immigration status
- Death of a household member
Appeal rights if your coverage ends
If SCDHHS terminates your Healthy Connections coverage, you will receive a written notice explaining the reason and your appeal rights. You have 30 days from the notice date to request a fair hearing. If you request an appeal within 10 days and your coverage was active at the time of the notice, you may have the right to continued coverage while the appeal is pending. Contact SCDHHS or a legal aid organization if you believe your coverage was wrongly terminated.
How to complete your renewal
When SCDHHS sends a renewal notice, here's what to do.
-
1
Read the notice carefully
Identify exactly what the agency is asking for and the deadline to respond. Renewal packets may ask you to confirm your current income, household size, or address.
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2
Update your information
If anything has changed — income, address, phone number, household members — report it now. Outdated contact information is the leading cause of missed renewal notices.
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3
Submit the renewal online, by phone, or by mail
SCDHHS's online portal is typically the fastest way to complete a renewal. You may also call the Member Help Center or mail in your completed packet.
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4
Confirm your coverage continued
After submitting, confirm you receive a notice that coverage was renewed. If you don't hear back within a few weeks, call SCDHHS to verify your status.
If your renewal is denied
A denial must state the reason in writing and explain your right to appeal. You have 90 days from the date of the notice to request a fair hearing. File the appeal quickly — if you appeal before your coverage ends, you may be able to continue coverage during the appeal period, though this depends on timing and the reason for denial.
Common renewal denials include: income that increased above the threshold, failure to respond to the renewal packet, a change in household size that affects eligibility, or immigration status questions. Some of these can be addressed by reapplying with updated information rather than appealing.
South Carolina Medicaid (Healthy Connections)
- SCDHHS Member Help Center: 1-888-549-0820
- Healthy Connections online portal: scdhhs.gov / apply.scdhhs.gov
- South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services: scdhhs.gov