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County Price & Affordability Audit 5 of 7 Hospitals Priced Pop. 736,008 $87,470 Median Income

El Paso County, CO Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 7 mapped hospitals in El Paso 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
1.11×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+11% 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 +11% above the fair benchmark (1.11×) 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 · El Paso County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in El Paso County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.5 of 7 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced5 of 7Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside El Paso County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 7 local facilities.
Median Income$87.5k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in El Paso County ($87,470/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate7.1%Percentage of El Paso 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 Audit5 of 7 Local Hospitals Priced

El Paso County, CO Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

El Paso County, Colorado (pop. 736,008) has 7 CMS-certified hospitals (5 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.11× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $87,470 median household income.

County Price Index: 1.11× Fair MarketMedian Income: $87,470/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in El Paso County

  • 5 of 7 hospitals in El Paso County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Centura Health-Penrose St Francis Health Services, St Francis Hospital - Interquest, Peak View Behavioral Health).
  • High-rated local clinical care: Uch-Memorial Health System (4/5 CMS Stars).
  • Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for El Paso County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where El Paso County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 2 facilities in El Paso County (Cedar Springs Hospital, Children's Hospital Colorado - Colorado Springs) lack an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 7.1% local uninsured rate and $87,470 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.0 weeks of typical El Paso County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Colorado counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage71% Published
5 of 7 Hospitals

Includes Centura Health-Penrose St Francis Health Services & St Francis Hospital - Interquest.

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 El Paso County.

Colorado County Price & Affordability Heatmap 34 of 64 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Colorado County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 64 counties in Colorado

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
El Paso County5hosps
1.11× Fair
Income $87k
Adams County5hosps
1.18× Fair
Income $91k
Denver County5hosps
1.22× Fair
Income $92k
Boulder County4hosps
1.16× Fair
Income $103k
Jefferson County3hosps
1.10× Fair
Income $108k
Mesa County3hosps
1.29× Fair
Income $71k
Larimer County3hosps
1.31× Fair
Income $91k
La Plata County2hosps
0.87× Fair
Income $85k
Douglas County2hosps
1.35× Fair
Income $146k
Arapahoe County2hosps
1.52× Fair
Income $97k
Morgan County2hosps
1.66× Fair
Income $75k
Phillips County2hosps
1.94× Fair
Income $60k
Chaffee County1hosp
0.35× Fair
Income $71k
Gunnison County1hosp
0.36× Fair
Income $77k
Rio Blanco County1hosp
0.74× Fair
Income $73k
Montrose County1hosp
0.83× Fair
Income $66k
Montezuma County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $63k
Pitkin County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $100k
Moffat County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $71k
Baca County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $40k
Routt County1hosp
1.05× Fair
Income $105k
Broomfield County1hosp
1.08× Fair
Income $121k
Weld County1hosp
1.15× Fair
Income $93k
Alamosa County1hosp
1.16× Fair
Income $51k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 64 total in Colorado

All Hospitals in El Paso County (7)

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

MRF Compliance: 5 of 7 Published

Compare Procedure Prices Across All Colorado Hospitals

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