Skip to main content
States Procedures Methodology Search
State Price Transparency Index 57 Mapped Hospitals 135 Shoppable Procedures +20% vs. U.S. Median (above the U.S. average)

Massachusetts Hospital Rates

Compare cash discount rates, commercial insurance prices, and fair price benchmarks across all 57 Massachusetts 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.Above Fair Market · Negotiate
1.20×vs. U.S. Fair Price Average
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+20% 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.

Across 57 Massachusetts hospitals, typical commercial prices average +20% above the U.S. fair price (1.20×) 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 · Massachusetts Market & Best ValueSummarizes statewide hospital price coverage across Massachusetts, the average commercial markup over federal Medicare rates, and the #1 best-value hospital in the state.57 Hospitals · 135 Procedures
Hospitals Priced57 in MATotal hospitals in Massachusetts with verified machine-readable price disclosures indexed in the Crystal.
Avg vs. Medicare1.9× MedicareAverage commercial insurance negotiated rate across Massachusetts hospitals compared to what federal Medicare pays for the same procedure.
Best Value in MA0.44× FairLowest confounder-adjusted hospital in Massachusetts: Arbour Hospital (Boston) at 0.44× fair market price.

Most affordable Massachusetts hospital: Arbour Hospital (Boston) at 0.44× the fair price (56% below benchmark).

Statewide Hospital Pricing Fingerprint57 Massachusetts Hospitals Analyzed

Massachusetts Statewide Hospital Pricing Summary

Across 57 reporting hospitals and 135 shoppable procedures in Massachusetts, typical commercial insurance rates sit at 1.20× the U.S. fair price average (1.9× federal Medicare rates). However, prices vary by 10.0× across the state — from 0.44× fair price at the most affordable hospitals up to 4.38× at high-markup facilities.

State Price Index: 1.20× U.S. Fair AverageAvg Commercial Rate: 1.9× Medicare
Advantage

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

  • Best-value hospital in Massachusetts: Arbour Hospital (Boston) prices care at 0.44× the fair price benchmark.
  • Additional low-cost leaders include Holyoke Medical Center (Holyoke, 0.87× fair) and McLean Hospital Corporation (0.88× fair).
  • Bottom-quartile Massachusetts hospitals (Q25) charge 1.02× the fair price or less — comparing quotes before scheduling elective care saves 25%–45%.
  • Nonprofit 501(c)(3) hospitals across Massachusetts must provide free or discounted charity care under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) income rules.
Watchout

Where Massachusetts Patients Get Burned (High-Markup Traps)

  • Highest-markup Massachusetts facilities reach 7.5× Medicare (Martha's Vineyard Hospital Inc in Oak Bluffs, Brigham and Women's Hospital).
  • Prices for the exact same procedure swing 10.0× between the lowest-priced (0.44×) and highest-priced (4.38×) hospitals in Massachusetts.
  • Emergency room, lab, and outpatient surgery facility fees carry significantly higher markups than pre-scheduled imaging or freestanding centers.
Most Affordable MA Hospitals (Bottom 25%)Best Value Tier
0.44× – 1.02× Fair

Led by Arbour Hospital (Boston) at 0.44× fair price.

Typical Massachusetts Hospital (State Median)1.9× Medicare
1.20× Fair Price

Middle-of-the-pack commercial rate across all 57 Massachusetts hospitals.

Highest-Markup MA Hospitals (Top 25%)10.0× State Spread
1.53× – 4.38× Fair

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

Massachusetts County Price & Affordability Heatmap 13 of 14 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Massachusetts County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 14 counties in Massachusetts

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup

All Hospitals in Massachusetts (57)

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 Massachusetts (135)

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

Browse Massachusetts by Metro Area

Local hospital comparison pages for each Massachusetts regional market.

Which Insurers Negotiate Prices in Massachusetts

Across the 58 Massachusetts hospitals that publish negotiated rates, here is how many hospitals each major insurance carrier has an in-network contract with.

UnitedHealthcare 50 of 58 hospitals
Blue Cross Blue Shield 48 of 58 hospitals
Aetna 46 of 58 hospitals
Cigna 45 of 58 hospitals
Humana 23 of 58 hospitals

Also negotiating in Massachusetts: Harvard Pilgrim (40) · Tufts Health Plan (39) · WellSense (21) · UniCare (19) · Molina (9) · AmeriHealth (4).

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 →