County Price & Affordability Audit
2 of 2 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 107,628
$57,531 Median Income
Houston County, AL Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 2 mapped hospitals in Houston County.
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. Fair Market Price
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.
Typical commercial prices here are 10% below the fair benchmark (0.90×) 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 · Houston County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Houston County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.2 of 2 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced2 of 2Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Houston County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 2 local facilities.
Median Income$57.5k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Houston County ($57,531/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate11.7%Percentage of Houston County 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 $31,920 (single) and $128,600 (family of 4) qualify for free or discounted hospital care.
County Hospital Pricing & Affordability Audit2 of 2 Local Hospitals Priced
Houston County, AL Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
Houston County, Alabama (pop. 107,628) has 2 CMS-certified hospitals (2 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.90× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $57,531 median household income.
County Price Index: 0.90× Fair MarketMedian Income: $57,531/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in Houston County
- 2 of 2 hospitals in Houston County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Flowers Hospital, Southeast Health Medical Center).
- High-rated local clinical care: Southeast Health Medical Center (4/5 CMS Stars).
- Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Houston County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where Houston County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- Hospital outpatient facility fees in Houston County can add 1.8×–3.0× over freestanding imaging and surgery centers for the exact same CPT code.
- With a 11.7% local uninsured rate and $57,531 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 4.5 weeks of typical Houston County family take-home pay.
- Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Alabama counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage100% Published
2 of 2 Hospitals
Includes Flowers Hospital & Southeast Health Medical Center.
Free Care Income Cutoff (200% FPL)Nonprofit 501(r) Rule
$31,920 – $64,300
Single ($31,920) to Family of 4 ($64,300) threshold for 100% free charity care.
Discounted Care Cutoff (400% FPL)AGB Billing Cap
Up to $128,600/yr
4-person household income cap qualifying for statutory AGB billing limits in Houston County.
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 Houston County (2)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- Flowers Hospital · Dothan CMS CCN 010055 · 24/7 Emergency Services
- Southeast Health Medical Center · Dothan CMS CCN 010001 · 24/7 Emergency Services
Compare Procedure Prices Across All Alabama Hospitals
View statewide surgical, imaging, colonoscopy, and ER price rankings across all Alabama facilities.