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County Price & Affordability Audit 4 of 5 Hospitals Priced Pop. 658,844 $80,390 Median Income

Kent County, MI Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 5 mapped hospitals in Kent 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
1.16×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+16% 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 +16% above the fair benchmark (1.16×) 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 · Kent County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Kent County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.4 of 5 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced4 of 5Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Kent County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 5 local facilities.
Median Income$80.4k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Kent County ($80,390/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate4.9%Percentage of Kent 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 Audit4 of 5 Local Hospitals Priced

Kent County, MI Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Kent County, Michigan (pop. 658,844) has 5 CMS-certified hospitals (4 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.16× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $80,390 median household income.

County Price Index: 1.16× Fair MarketMedian Income: $80,390/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Kent County

  • 4 of 5 hospitals in Kent County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Spectrum Health, University of Michigan Health - West, Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services).
  • High-rated local clinical care: Spectrum Health (4/5 CMS Stars) and University of Michigan Health - West (4/5 CMS Stars).
  • Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Kent County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Kent County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 1 facility in Kent County (Forest View Psychiatric Hospital) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 4.9% local uninsured rate and $80,390 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.2 weeks of typical Kent County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Michigan counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage80% Published
4 of 5 Hospitals

Includes Spectrum Health & University of Michigan Health - West.

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 Kent County.

Michigan County Price & Affordability Heatmap 48 of 83 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Michigan County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 83 counties in Michigan

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Wayne County12hosps
0.94× Fair
Income $60k
Oakland County11hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $95k
Washtenaw County4hosps
0.98× Fair
Income $87k
Kent County4hosps
1.16× Fair
Income $80k
Genesee County3hosps
0.84× Fair
Income $61k
Macomb County3hosps
0.88× Fair
Income $76k
St. Clair County3hosps
0.91× Fair
Income $69k
Ottawa County3hosps
1.05× Fair
Income $87k
Sanilac County2hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $59k
Calhoun County2hosps
0.83× Fair
Income $60k
Houghton County2hosps
0.85× Fair
Income $57k
Kalamazoo County2hosps
0.89× Fair
Income $71k
Livingston County2hosps
1.05× Fair
Income $101k
Berrien County2hosps
1.19× Fair
Income $63k
Luce County1hosp
0.42× Fair
Income $54k
Mackinac County1hosp
0.52× Fair
Income $59k
Allegan County1hosp
0.67× Fair
Income $80k
Charlevoix County1hosp
0.69× Fair
Income $76k
Eaton County1hosp
0.75× Fair
Income $78k
Saginaw County1hosp
0.77× Fair
Income $58k
Jackson County1hosp
0.78× Fair
Income $65k
Otsego County1hosp
0.78× Fair
Income $67k
Wexford County1hosp
0.79× Fair
Income $63k
Crawford County1hosp
0.79× Fair
Income $59k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 83 total in Michigan

All Hospitals in Kent County (5)

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

MRF Compliance: 4 of 5 Published

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