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County Price & Affordability Audit 1 of 2 Hospitals Priced Pop. 285,597 $65,044 Median Income

Merced County, CA Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 2 mapped hospitals in Merced 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.Above Fair Market · Negotiate
1.21×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+21% 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 +21% above the fair benchmark (1.21×) 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 · Merced County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Merced County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.1 of 2 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced1 of 2Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Merced County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 2 local facilities.
Median Income$65.0k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Merced County ($65,044/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate9.0%Percentage of Merced 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 Audit1 of 2 Local Hospitals Priced

Merced County, CA Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Merced County, California (pop. 285,597) has 2 CMS-certified hospitals (1 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.21× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $65,044 median household income.

County Price Index: 1.21× Fair MarketMedian Income: $65,044/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Merced County

  • 1 of 2 hospitals in Merced County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Mercy Medical Center).
  • Local Merced 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 Merced County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Merced County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 1 facility in Merced County (Memorial Hospital Los Banos) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 9.0% local uninsured rate and $65,044 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 4.0 weeks of typical Merced County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across California counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage50% Published
1 of 2 Hospitals

Includes Mercy 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 Merced County.

California County Price & Affordability Heatmap 47 of 58 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

California County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 58 counties in California

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Los Angeles County57hosps
1.19× Fair
Income $88k
Orange County21hosps
1.38× Fair
Income $114k
San Diego County17hosps
1.21× Fair
Income $102k
San Bernardino County15hosps
1.30× Fair
Income $82k
Riverside County12hosps
1.12× Fair
Income $90k
Kern County9hosps
1.19× Fair
Income $68k
Alameda County9hosps
1.24× Fair
Income $126k
Fresno County7hosps
1.06× Fair
Income $71k
San Francisco County7hosps
1.12× Fair
Income $141k
Sacramento County7hosps
1.24× Fair
Income $89k
Santa Clara County6hosps
1.22× Fair
Income $160k
San Joaquin County5hosps
1.09× Fair
Income $89k
Contra Costa County5hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $126k
Sonoma County5hosps
1.57× Fair
Income $103k
Solano County4hosps
1.05× Fair
Income $100k
Shasta County4hosps
1.13× Fair
Income $72k
Ventura County4hosps
1.34× Fair
Income $107k
Mendocino County3hosps
0.78× Fair
Income $65k
Plumas County3hosps
0.90× Fair
Income $65k
Monterey County3hosps
0.95× Fair
Income $94k
San Mateo County3hosps
1.17× Fair
Income $156k
San Luis Obispo County3hosps
1.67× Fair
Income $93k
Butte County2hosps
0.91× Fair
Income $69k
Tulare County2hosps
1.07× Fair
Income $69k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 58 total in California

All Hospitals in Merced County (2)

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

MRF Compliance: 1 of 2 Published

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