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State Price Transparency Index 59 Mapped Hospitals 140 Shoppable Procedures −10% vs. U.S. Median (near the U.S. average)

Alabama Hospital Rates

Compare cash discount rates, commercial insurance prices, and fair price benchmarks across all 59 Alabama hospitals.

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.Good Deal · Below Fair Market
0.90×vs. U.S. Fair Price Average
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price10% Below 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.

Across 59 Alabama hospitals, typical commercial prices average 10% below the U.S. fair price (0.90×) after accounting for local wages.

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 · Alabama Market & Best ValueSummarizes statewide hospital price coverage across Alabama, the average commercial markup over federal Medicare rates, and the #1 best-value hospital in the state.59 Hospitals · 140 Procedures
Hospitals Priced59 in ALTotal hospitals in Alabama with verified machine-readable price disclosures indexed in the Crystal.
Avg vs. Medicare1.1× MedicareAverage commercial insurance negotiated rate across Alabama hospitals compared to what federal Medicare pays for the same procedure.
Best Value in AL0.77× FairLowest confounder-adjusted hospital in Alabama: The East Alabama Healthcare Authority (Opelika) at 0.77× fair market price.

Most affordable Alabama hospital: The East Alabama Healthcare Authority (Opelika) at 0.77× the fair price (23% below benchmark).

Statewide Hospital Pricing Fingerprint59 Alabama Hospitals Analyzed

Alabama Statewide Hospital Pricing Summary

Across 59 reporting hospitals and 140 shoppable procedures in Alabama, typical commercial insurance rates sit at 0.90× the U.S. fair price average (1.1× federal Medicare rates). However, prices vary by 3.9× across the state — from 0.77× fair price at the most affordable hospitals up to 3.01× at high-markup facilities.

State Price Index: 0.90× U.S. Fair AverageAvg Commercial Rate: 1.1× Medicare
Advantage

Best Value in Alabama (Lowest-Priced Hospitals & Patient Edge)

  • Best-value hospital in Alabama: The East Alabama Healthcare Authority (Opelika) prices care at 0.77× the fair price benchmark.
  • Additional low-cost leaders include USA Health Children's & Women's Hospital (Mobile, 0.81× fair) and Springhill Medical Center (0.81× fair).
  • Bottom-quartile Alabama hospitals (Q25) charge 0.86× the fair price or less — comparing quotes before scheduling elective care saves 25%–45%.
  • Nonprofit 501(c)(3) hospitals across Alabama must provide free or discounted charity care under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) income rules.
Watchout

Where Alabama Patients Get Burned (High-Markup Traps)

  • Highest-markup Alabama facilities reach 4.9× Medicare (The Children's Hospital of Alabama in Birmingham, North Alabama Specialty Hospital).
  • Prices for the exact same procedure swing 3.9× between the lowest-priced (0.77×) and highest-priced (3.01×) hospitals in Alabama.
  • Emergency room, lab, and outpatient surgery facility fees carry significantly higher markups than pre-scheduled imaging or freestanding centers.
Most Affordable AL Hospitals (Bottom 25%)Best Value Tier
0.77× – 0.86× Fair

Led by The East Alabama Healthcare Authority (Opelika) at 0.77× fair price.

Typical Alabama Hospital (State Median)1.1× Medicare
0.90× Fair Price

Middle-of-the-pack commercial rate across all 59 Alabama hospitals.

Highest-Markup AL Hospitals (Top 25%)3.9× State Spread
1.07× – 3.01× Fair

Highest-priced quarter of Alabama hospitals where shopping around saves the most.

Alabama County Price & Affordability Heatmap 37 of 67 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Alabama County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 67 counties in Alabama

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Jefferson County6hosps
1.31× Fair
Income $65k
Mobile County4hosps
0.83× Fair
Income $58k
Escambia County2hosps
0.84× Fair
Income $44k
Etowah County2hosps
0.86× Fair
Income $53k
Houston County2hosps
0.90× Fair
Income $58k
Madison County2hosps
0.92× Fair
Income $84k
Montgomery County2hosps
1.09× Fair
Income $58k
Colbert County2hosps
1.11× Fair
Income $57k
Lee County1hosp
0.77× Fair
Income $61k
Cullman County1hosp
0.82× Fair
Income $61k
Dale County1hosp
0.83× Fair
Income $54k
Coffee County1hosp
0.85× Fair
Income $65k
Talladega County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $56k
Calhoun County1hosp
0.87× Fair
Income $56k
Chilton County1hosp
0.87× Fair
Income $62k
Limestone County1hosp
0.88× Fair
Income $84k
DeKalb County1hosp
0.88× Fair
Income $51k
Jackson County1hosp
0.88× Fair
Income $49k
Wilcox County1hosp
0.88× Fair
Income $42k
Baldwin County1hosp
0.89× Fair
Income $75k
Morgan County1hosp
0.89× Fair
Income $65k
Tallapoosa County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $57k
Barbour County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $44k
Sumter County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $38k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 67 total in Alabama

All Hospitals in Alabama (59)

Ranked by how their commercial prices compare to the fair BaseRate — best value first. Select any hospital to inspect its full procedure price list.

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Compare Prices by Procedure in Alabama (140)

High-impact surgeries, scans, and hospital stays are listed first with the typical Alabama price. Search any procedure below.

Browse Alabama by Metro Area

Local hospital comparison pages for each Alabama regional market.

Which Insurers Negotiate Prices in Alabama

Across the 59 Alabama hospitals that publish negotiated rates, here is how many hospitals each major insurance carrier has an in-network contract with.

Blue Cross Blue Shield 51 of 59 hospitals
Aetna 49 of 59 hospitals
UnitedHealthcare 49 of 59 hospitals
Cigna 48 of 59 hospitals
Humana 43 of 59 hospitals

Also negotiating in Alabama: Ambetter (Centene) (29) · Devoted Health (19) · WellCare (18) · Clover Health (9) · Cigna HealthSpring (7) · SelectHealth (7).

Prices are sourced from each hospital's federally-required public price file, most recently published October 2026. The BaseRate is a modeled fair-price estimate — not a bill or quote. How we build these numbers →