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County Price & Affordability Audit 1 of 2 Hospitals Priced Pop. 23,878 $32,403 Median Income

Bell County, KY Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 2 mapped hospitals in Bell 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
0.81×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price19% 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 19% below the fair benchmark (0.81×) 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 · Bell County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Bell 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 Bell County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 2 local facilities.
Median Income$32.4k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Bell County ($32,403/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate6.7%Percentage of Bell 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

Bell County, KY Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Bell County, Kentucky (pop. 23,878) has 2 CMS-certified hospitals (1 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.81× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $32,403 median household income.

County Price Index: 0.81× Fair MarketMedian Income: $32,403/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Bell County

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

Where Bell County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 1 facility in Bell County (Pineville Community Health Center, Inc) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 6.7% local uninsured rate and $32,403 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 8.0 weeks of typical Bell County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Kentucky counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage50% Published
1 of 2 Hospitals

Includes Middlesboro Arh 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 Bell County.

Kentucky County Price & Affordability Heatmap 57 of 120 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Kentucky County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 120 counties in Kentucky

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Fayette County5hosps
1.49× Fair
Income $68k
Jefferson County3hosps
1.01× Fair
Income $68k
Floyd County3hosps
1.09× Fair
Income $42k
Pike County2hosps
0.92× Fair
Income $42k
Breckinridge County1hosp
0.70× Fair
Income $54k
Trigg County1hosp
0.70× Fair
Income $55k
Lawrence County1hosp
0.72× Fair
Income $46k
Pulaski County1hosp
0.73× Fair
Income $51k
Letcher County1hosp
0.75× Fair
Income $41k
Hopkins County1hosp
0.76× Fair
Income $58k
Boyle County1hosp
0.76× Fair
Income $62k
Henderson County1hosp
0.78× Fair
Income $58k
Johnson County1hosp
0.78× Fair
Income $43k
Barren County1hosp
0.79× Fair
Income $49k
Bell County1hosp
0.81× Fair
Income $32k
Perry County1hosp
0.83× Fair
Income $45k
Mercer County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $63k
Breathitt County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $41k
Harrison County1hosp
0.87× Fair
Income $63k
Warren County1hosp
0.88× Fair
Income $65k
Harlan County1hosp
0.88× Fair
Income $37k
Crittenden County1hosp
0.89× Fair
Income $47k
Rockcastle County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $48k
McCracken County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $62k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 120 total in Kentucky

All Hospitals in Bell 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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