County Price & Affordability Audit
0 of 1 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 10,891
$86,313 Median Income
North Slope Borough, AK Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 1 mapped hospitals in North Slope Borough.
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.Above Fair Market · Negotiate
1.15×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+15% Above Fair Price
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.
Typical commercial prices here are +15% above the fair benchmark (1.15×) even after accounting for local nurse/doctor 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 · North Slope Borough Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in North Slope Borough, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.0 of 1 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced0 of 1Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside North Slope Borough that have published machine-readable price files out of all 1 local facilities.
Median Income$86.3k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in North Slope Borough ($86,313/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate14.3%Percentage of North Slope Borough residents without health insurance who rely on self-pay cash discounts and 501(r) nonprofit hospital financial assistance.
Local charity-care income cutoffs (200%–400% FPL): up to $39,900 (single) and $160,760 (family of 4) qualify for free or discounted hospital care.
County Hospital Pricing & Affordability Audit0 of 1 Local Hospitals Priced
North Slope Borough, AK Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
North Slope Borough, Alaska (pop. 10,891) has 1 CMS-certified hospitals (0 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.15× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $86,313 median household income.
County Price Index: 1.15× Fair MarketMedian Income: $86,313/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in North Slope Borough
- Compare published hospital price files in neighboring Alaska counties below.
- Local North Slope Borough households earning up to $39,900 (single) or $80,380 (family of 4) qualify for 200% FPL free charity care at nonprofit hospitals.
- Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for North Slope Borough families earning up to $160,760/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where North Slope Borough Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- 1 facility in North Slope Borough (Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
- With a 14.3% local uninsured rate and $86,313 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.0 weeks of typical North Slope Borough family take-home pay.
- Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Alaska counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage0% Published
0 of 1 Hospitals
Select any local hospital below to inspect its procedure rates.
Free Care Income Cutoff (200% FPL)Nonprofit 501(r) Rule
$39,900 – $80,380
Single ($39,900) to Family of 4 ($80,380) threshold for 100% free charity care.
Discounted Care Cutoff (400% FPL)AGB Billing Cap
Up to $160,760/yr
4-person household income cap qualifying for statutory AGB billing limits in North Slope Borough.
Alaska County Price & Affordability Heatmap
7 of 30 Counties with MRF Hospital Data
Alaska County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap
Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 30 counties in Alaska
<0.94× Affordable
0.94–1.06× Near Avg
1.06–1.20× Elevated
>1.20× High-Markup
Kenai Peninsula Borough2hosps
0.82× Fair
Income $78k
Anchorage Municipality2hosps
1.78× Fair
Income $98k
Ketchikan Gateway Borough1hosp
0.78× Fair
Income $89k
Fairbanks North Star Borough1hosp
0.96× Fair
Income $85k
Nome Census Area1hosp
1.71× Fair
Income $77k
Juneau City and Borough1hosp
2.18× Fair
Income $101k
Matanuska-Susitna Borough1hosp
2.98× Fair
Income $91k
Bethel Census Area0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $71k
Kodiak Island Borough0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $84k
North Slope Borough0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $86k
Sitka City and Borough0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $101k
Kusilvak Census Area0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $48k
Northwest Arctic Borough0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $81k
Chugach Census Area0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $89k
Southeast Fairbanks Census Area0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $74k
Prince of Wales-Hyder Census Area0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $59k
Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $53k
Aleutians West Census Area0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $107k
Dillingham Census Area0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $74k
Aleutians East Borough0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $73k
Petersburg Borough0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $77k
Copper River Census Area0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $75k
Hoonah-Angoon Census Area0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $63k
Wrangell City and Borough0hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $65k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 30 total in Alaska
All Hospitals in North Slope Borough (1)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- Samuel Simmonds Memorial Hospital · Barrow CMS CCN 021312 · 24/7 Emergency ServicesNot Rated No MRF Indexed
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