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County Price & Affordability Audit 3 of 4 Hospitals Priced Pop. 206,040 $53,197 Median Income

Richmond County, GA Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 4 mapped hospitals in Richmond 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
1.15×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+15% 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 +15% above the fair benchmark (1.15×) 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 · Richmond County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Richmond County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.3 of 4 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced3 of 4Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Richmond County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 4 local facilities.
Median Income$53.2k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Richmond County ($53,197/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate11.6%Percentage of Richmond 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 Audit3 of 4 Local Hospitals Priced

Richmond County, GA Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Richmond County, Georgia (pop. 206,040) has 4 CMS-certified hospitals (3 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.15× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $53,197 median household income.

County Price Index: 1.15× Fair MarketMedian Income: $53,197/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Richmond County

  • 3 of 4 hospitals in Richmond County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Doctors Hospital, Piedmont Augusta Hospital, Wellstar McG Health, Affiliated With Med Col).
  • Local Richmond 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 Richmond County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Richmond County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 1 facility in Richmond County (East Central Regional Hospital) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 11.6% local uninsured rate and $53,197 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 4.9 weeks of typical Richmond County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Georgia counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage75% Published
3 of 4 Hospitals

Includes Doctors Hospital & Piedmont Augusta 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 Richmond County.

Georgia County Price & Affordability Heatmap 83 of 159 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Georgia County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 159 counties in Georgia

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Fulton County7hosps
1.17× Fair
Income $91k
Richmond County3hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $53k
Bibb County3hosps
1.29× Fair
Income $51k
Chatham County2hosps
0.98× Fair
Income $70k
Carroll County2hosps
1.02× Fair
Income $72k
Gwinnett County2hosps
1.37× Fair
Income $85k
Cobb County2hosps
1.42× Fair
Income $99k
Muscogee County2hosps
2.02× Fair
Income $57k
Candler County1hosp
0.66× Fair
Income $50k
Miller County1hosp
0.67× Fair
Income $58k
Emanuel County1hosp
0.81× Fair
Income $50k
Baldwin County1hosp
0.83× Fair
Income $55k
Clayton County1hosp
0.84× Fair
Income $59k
Camden County1hosp
0.84× Fair
Income $72k
Peach County1hosp
0.84× Fair
Income $68k
Glynn County1hosp
0.85× Fair
Income $69k
DeKalb County1hosp
0.87× Fair
Income $78k
Coffee County1hosp
0.87× Fair
Income $50k
Screven County1hosp
0.87× Fair
Income $53k
Lanier County1hosp
0.87× Fair
Income $44k
Lowndes County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $56k
Barrow County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $77k
Lumpkin County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $72k
Houston County1hosp
0.93× Fair
Income $81k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 159 total in Georgia

All Hospitals in Richmond County (4)

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

MRF Compliance: 3 of 4 Published

Compare Procedure Prices Across All Georgia Hospitals

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