County Price & Affordability Audit
1 of 4 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 266,021
$109,266 Median Income
Santa Cruz County, CA Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 4 mapped hospitals in Santa Cruz 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.High Markup · Shop Alternatives
1.56×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+56% 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 +56% above the fair benchmark (1.56×) 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 · Santa Cruz County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Santa Cruz County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.1 of 4 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced1 of 4Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Santa Cruz County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 4 local facilities.
Median Income$109.3k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Santa Cruz County ($109,266/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate5.3%Percentage of Santa Cruz 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 4 Local Hospitals Priced
Santa Cruz County, CA Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
Santa Cruz County, California (pop. 266,021) has 4 CMS-certified hospitals (1 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.56× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $109,266 median household income.
County Price Index: 1.56× Fair MarketMedian Income: $109,266/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in Santa Cruz County
- 1 of 4 hospitals in Santa Cruz County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Watsonville Community Hospital).
- High-rated local clinical care: Dominican Hospital (4/5 CMS Stars).
- Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Santa Cruz County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where Santa Cruz County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- 3 facilities in Santa Cruz County (Dominican Hospital, Santa Cruz County Psychiatric Health Facility) lack an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
- With a 5.3% local uninsured rate and $109,266 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 2.4 weeks of typical Santa Cruz 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 Coverage25% Published
1 of 4 Hospitals
Includes Watsonville Community Hospital.
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 Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County (4)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- Dominican Hospital · Santa Cruz CMS CCN 050242 · 24/7 Emergency Services4/5 CMS Stars No MRF Indexed
- Santa Cruz County Psychiatric Health Facility · Santa Cruz CMS CCN 054152 · Specialty / Outpatient CareNot Rated No MRF Indexed
- Sutter Maternity & Surgery Center of Santa Cruz · Santa Cruz CMS CCN 050714 · Specialty / Outpatient CareNot Rated No MRF Indexed
- Watsonville Community Hospital · Watsonville CMS CCN 050194 · 24/7 Emergency Services
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