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County Price & Affordability Audit 1 of 2 Hospitals Priced Pop. 83,610 $62,496 Median Income

Howard County, IN Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 2 mapped hospitals in Howard 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.Good Deal · Below Fair Market
0.61×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price39% 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 39% below the fair benchmark (0.61×) 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 · Howard County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Howard 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 Howard County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 2 local facilities.
Median Income$62.5k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Howard County ($62,496/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate6.7%Percentage of Howard 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

Howard County, IN Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Howard County, Indiana (pop. 83,610) has 2 CMS-certified hospitals (1 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.61× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $62,496 median household income.

County Price Index: 0.61× Fair MarketMedian Income: $62,496/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Howard County

  • 1 of 2 hospitals in Howard County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Ascension St Vincent Kokomo).
  • High-rated local clinical care: Community Howard Regional Health Inc. (4/5 CMS Stars) and Ascension St Vincent Kokomo (4/5 CMS Stars).
  • Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Howard County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Howard County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 1 facility in Howard County (Community Howard Regional Health Inc.) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 6.7% local uninsured rate and $62,496 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 4.2 weeks of typical Howard County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Indiana counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage50% Published
1 of 2 Hospitals

Includes Ascension St Vincent Kokomo.

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 Howard County.

Indiana County Price & Affordability Heatmap 67 of 92 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Indiana County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 92 counties in Indiana

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Lake County9hosps
1.56× Fair
Income $69k
Allen County6hosps
1.22× Fair
Income $69k
Hamilton County5hosps
0.81× Fair
Income $118k
Marion County5hosps
1.35× Fair
Income $63k
Warrick County3hosps
0.72× Fair
Income $95k
Elkhart County3hosps
0.88× Fair
Income $66k
Vigo County3hosps
1.08× Fair
Income $53k
Tippecanoe County3hosps
1.26× Fair
Income $59k
Madison County2hosps
0.51× Fair
Income $63k
Vanderburgh County2hosps
0.74× Fair
Income $61k
Porter County2hosps
0.85× Fair
Income $86k
DeKalb County2hosps
0.98× Fair
Income $70k
Hendricks County2hosps
1.17× Fair
Income $100k
Kosciusko County2hosps
1.17× Fair
Income $74k
Monroe County2hosps
1.46× Fair
Income $63k
Rush County1hosp
0.35× Fair
Income $64k
Washington County1hosp
0.51× Fair
Income $61k
Howard County1hosp
0.61× Fair
Income $62k
Clay County1hosp
0.62× Fair
Income $68k
Randolph County1hosp
0.64× Fair
Income $61k
Warren County1hosp
0.73× Fair
Income $75k
Jennings County1hosp
0.74× Fair
Income $68k
Steuben County1hosp
0.76× Fair
Income $71k
Henry County1hosp
0.77× Fair
Income $60k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 92 total in Indiana

All Hospitals in Howard 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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