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County Price & Affordability Audit 2 of 3 Hospitals Priced Pop. 128,448 $56,450 Median Income

Sebastian County, AR Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 3 mapped hospitals in Sebastian 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.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
0.96×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price4% 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 4% below the fair benchmark (0.96×) 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 · Sebastian County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Sebastian County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.2 of 3 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced2 of 3Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Sebastian County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 3 local facilities.
Median Income$56.5k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Sebastian County ($56,450/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate10.5%Percentage of Sebastian 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 3 Local Hospitals Priced

Sebastian County, AR Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Sebastian County, Arkansas (pop. 128,448) has 3 CMS-certified hospitals (2 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.96× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $56,450 median household income.

County Price Index: 0.96× Fair MarketMedian Income: $56,450/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Sebastian County

  • 2 of 3 hospitals in Sebastian County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Mercy Hospital Fort Smith, Baptist Health - Fort Smith).
  • Local Sebastian County households earning up to $31,920 (single) or $64,300 (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 Sebastian County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Sebastian County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 1 facility in Sebastian County (Valley Behavioral Health System) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 10.5% local uninsured rate and $56,450 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 4.6 weeks of typical Sebastian County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Arkansas counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage67% Published
2 of 3 Hospitals

Includes Mercy Hospital Fort Smith & Baptist Health - Fort Smith.

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 Sebastian County.

Arkansas County Price & Affordability Heatmap 36 of 75 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Arkansas County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 75 counties in Arkansas

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Pulaski County7hosps
0.98× Fair
Income $60k
Sebastian County2hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $56k
Washington County2hosps
1.04× Fair
Income $66k
Faulkner County2hosps
1.10× Fair
Income $65k
Garland County2hosps
1.23× Fair
Income $55k
Desha County2hosps
1.55× Fair
Income $36k
Logan County2hosps
1.81× Fair
Income $54k
Lawrence County1hosp
0.75× Fair
Income $44k
Ouachita County1hosp
0.84× Fair
Income $50k
Benton County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $90k
Polk County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $49k
Johnson County1hosp
0.87× Fair
Income $45k
Stone County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $39k
Independence County1hosp
0.93× Fair
Income $56k
Pope County1hosp
0.95× Fair
Income $55k
Boone County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $54k
Baxter County1hosp
1.03× Fair
Income $48k
Drew County1hosp
1.06× Fair
Income $41k
Arkansas County1hosp
1.06× Fair
Income $61k
Hot Spring County1hosp
1.07× Fair
Income $53k
Crawford County1hosp
1.09× Fair
Income $60k
Chicot County1hosp
1.12× Fair
Income $40k
Scott County1hosp
1.13× Fair
Income $46k
Dallas County1hosp
1.15× Fair
Income $45k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 75 total in Arkansas

All Hospitals in Sebastian County (3)

Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.

MRF Compliance: 2 of 3 Published

Compare Procedure Prices Across All Arkansas Hospitals

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