Skip to main content
States Procedures Methodology Search
State Price Transparency Index 105 Mapped Hospitals 136 Shoppable Procedures −5% vs. U.S. Median (near the U.S. average)

Louisiana Hospital Rates

Compare cash discount rates, commercial insurance prices, and fair price benchmarks across all 105 Louisiana hospitals.

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.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
0.95×vs. U.S. Fair Price Average
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price5% 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.

Across 105 Louisiana hospitals, typical commercial prices average 5% below the U.S. fair price (0.95×) after accounting for local wages.

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 · Louisiana Market & Best ValueSummarizes statewide hospital price coverage across Louisiana, the average commercial markup over federal Medicare rates, and the #1 best-value hospital in the state.105 Hospitals · 136 Procedures
Hospitals Priced105 in LATotal hospitals in Louisiana with verified machine-readable price disclosures indexed in the Crystal.
Avg vs. Medicare1.4× MedicareAverage commercial insurance negotiated rate across Louisiana hospitals compared to what federal Medicare pays for the same procedure.
Best Value in LA0.54× FairLowest confounder-adjusted hospital in Louisiana: Caldwell Memorial Hospital, Inc (Columbia) at 0.54× fair market price.

Most affordable Louisiana hospital: Caldwell Memorial Hospital, Inc (Columbia) at 0.54× the fair price (46% below benchmark).

Statewide Hospital Pricing Fingerprint105 Louisiana Hospitals Analyzed

Louisiana Statewide Hospital Pricing Summary

Across 105 reporting hospitals and 136 shoppable procedures in Louisiana, typical commercial insurance rates sit at 0.95× the U.S. fair price average (1.4× federal Medicare rates). However, prices vary by 6.4× across the state — from 0.54× fair price at the most affordable hospitals up to 3.47× at high-markup facilities.

State Price Index: 0.95× U.S. Fair AverageAvg Commercial Rate: 1.4× Medicare
Advantage

Best Value in Louisiana (Lowest-Priced Hospitals & Patient Edge)

  • Best-value hospital in Louisiana: Caldwell Memorial Hospital, Inc (Columbia) prices care at 0.54× the fair price benchmark.
  • Additional low-cost leaders include Riverbridge Specialty Hospital (Vidalia, 0.60× fair) and St Tammany Parish Hospital (0.61× fair).
  • Bottom-quartile Louisiana hospitals (Q25) charge 0.90× the fair price or less — comparing quotes before scheduling elective care saves 25%–45%.
  • Nonprofit 501(c)(3) hospitals across Louisiana must provide free or discounted charity care under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) income rules.
Watchout

Where Louisiana Patients Get Burned (High-Markup Traps)

  • Highest-markup Louisiana facilities reach 3.6× Medicare (Desoto Regional Health System in Mansfield, Omega Hospital, LLC).
  • Prices for the exact same procedure swing 6.4× between the lowest-priced (0.54×) and highest-priced (3.47×) hospitals in Louisiana.
  • Emergency room, lab, and outpatient surgery facility fees carry significantly higher markups than pre-scheduled imaging or freestanding centers.
Most Affordable LA Hospitals (Bottom 25%)Best Value Tier
0.54× – 0.90× Fair

Led by Caldwell Memorial Hospital, Inc (Columbia) at 0.54× fair price.

Typical Louisiana Hospital (State Median)1.4× Medicare
0.99× Fair Price

Middle-of-the-pack commercial rate across all 105 Louisiana hospitals.

Highest-Markup LA Hospitals (Top 25%)6.4× State Spread
1.25× – 3.47× Fair

Highest-priced quarter of Louisiana hospitals where shopping around saves the most.

Louisiana County Price & Affordability Heatmap 46 of 64 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Louisiana County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

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

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Jefferson Parish6hosps
1.33× Fair
Income $65k
Lafayette Parish5hosps
0.88× Fair
Income $68k
Caddo Parish5hosps
1.00× Fair
Income $50k
Calcasieu Parish5hosps
1.06× Fair
Income $68k
St. Tammany Parish4hosps
0.86× Fair
Income $79k
Orleans Parish4hosps
1.09× Fair
Income $55k
Ouachita Parish4hosps
1.25× Fair
Income $51k
Tangipahoa Parish3hosps
0.82× Fair
Income $57k
Rapides Parish3hosps
1.04× Fair
Income $56k
Caldwell Parish2hosps
0.83× Fair
Income $45k
Allen Parish2hosps
0.84× Fair
Income $51k
East Baton Rouge Parish2hosps
0.88× Fair
Income $63k
Lincoln Parish2hosps
0.91× Fair
Income $38k
Richland Parish2hosps
0.92× Fair
Income $53k
Terrebonne Parish2hosps
1.02× Fair
Income $65k
St. James Parish2hosps
1.08× Fair
Income $65k
St. Mary Parish2hosps
1.10× Fair
Income $52k
Vermilion Parish2hosps
1.21× Fair
Income $58k
Acadia Parish2hosps
1.27× Fair
Income $45k
Webster Parish2hosps
1.32× Fair
Income $37k
Union Parish2hosps
1.35× Fair
Income $46k
Lafourche Parish2hosps
1.50× Fair
Income $63k
East Carroll Parish1hosp
0.69× Fair
Income $28k
Iberia Parish1hosp
0.79× Fair
Income $58k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 64 total in Louisiana

All Hospitals in Louisiana (105)

Ranked by how their commercial prices compare to the fair BaseRate — best value first. Select any hospital to inspect its full procedure price list.

Sort:

Compare Prices by Procedure in Louisiana (136)

High-impact surgeries, scans, and hospital stays are listed first with the typical Louisiana price. Search any procedure below.

Browse Louisiana by Metro Area

Local hospital comparison pages for each Louisiana regional market.

Which Insurers Negotiate Prices in Louisiana

Across the 108 Louisiana hospitals that publish negotiated rates, here is how many hospitals each major insurance carrier has an in-network contract with.

Aetna 99 of 108 hospitals
Blue Cross Blue Shield 99 of 108 hospitals
UnitedHealthcare 96 of 108 hospitals
Humana 92 of 108 hospitals
Cigna 76 of 108 hospitals
Kaiser Permanente 2 of 108 hospitals

Also negotiating in Louisiana: AmeriHealth (54) · WellCare (41) · Health Net (31) · Ambetter (Centene) (25) · GEHA (9) · Amerigroup (6).

Prices are sourced from each hospital's federally-required public price file, most recently published October 2026. The BaseRate is a modeled fair-price estimate — not a bill or quote. How we build these numbers →