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State Price Transparency Index 31 Mapped Hospitals 126 Shoppable Procedures +20% vs. U.S. Median (above the U.S. average)

Montana Hospital Rates

Compare cash discount rates, commercial insurance prices, and fair price benchmarks across all 31 Montana 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 31 Montana 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 · Montana Market & Best ValueSummarizes statewide hospital price coverage across Montana, the average commercial markup over federal Medicare rates, and the #1 best-value hospital in the state.31 Hospitals · 126 Procedures
Hospitals Priced31 in MTTotal hospitals in Montana with verified machine-readable price disclosures indexed in the Crystal.
Avg vs. Medicare1.5× MedicareAverage commercial insurance negotiated rate across Montana hospitals compared to what federal Medicare pays for the same procedure.
Best Value in MT0.20× FairLowest confounder-adjusted hospital in Montana: Pioneer Medical Center (Big Timber) at 0.20× fair market price.

Most affordable Montana hospital: Pioneer Medical Center (Big Timber) at 0.20× the fair price (80% below benchmark).

Statewide Hospital Pricing Fingerprint31 Montana Hospitals Analyzed

Montana Statewide Hospital Pricing Summary

Across 31 reporting hospitals and 126 shoppable procedures in Montana, typical commercial insurance rates sit at 1.20× the U.S. fair price average (1.5× federal Medicare rates). However, prices vary by 15.9× across the state — from 0.20× fair price at the most affordable hospitals up to 3.19× at high-markup facilities.

State Price Index: 1.20× U.S. Fair AverageAvg Commercial Rate: 1.5× Medicare
Advantage

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

  • Best-value hospital in Montana: Pioneer Medical Center (Big Timber) prices care at 0.20× the fair price benchmark.
  • Additional low-cost leaders include Sheridan Memorial Hosptial (Plentywood, 0.21× fair) and Frances Mahon Deaconess Hospital (0.41× fair).
  • Bottom-quartile Montana hospitals (Q25) charge 0.74× the fair price or less — comparing quotes before scheduling elective care saves 25%–45%.
  • Nonprofit 501(c)(3) hospitals across Montana must provide free or discounted charity care under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) income rules.
Watchout

Where Montana Patients Get Burned (High-Markup Traps)

  • Highest-markup Montana facilities reach 4.0× Medicare (Logan Health - Shelby in Shelby, Community Hospital of Anaconda).
  • Prices for the exact same procedure swing 15.9× between the lowest-priced (0.20×) and highest-priced (3.19×) hospitals in Montana.
  • Emergency room, lab, and outpatient surgery facility fees carry significantly higher markups than pre-scheduled imaging or freestanding centers.
Most Affordable MT Hospitals (Bottom 25%)Best Value Tier
0.20× – 0.74× Fair

Led by Pioneer Medical Center (Big Timber) at 0.20× fair price.

Typical Montana Hospital (State Median)1.5× Medicare
1.16× Fair Price

Middle-of-the-pack commercial rate across all 31 Montana hospitals.

Highest-Markup MT Hospitals (Top 25%)15.9× State Spread
1.74× – 3.19× Fair

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

Montana County Price & Affordability Heatmap 27 of 56 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Montana County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 56 counties in Montana

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Missoula County2hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $71k
Lewis and Clark County2hosps
1.11× Fair
Income $75k
Flathead County2hosps
1.33× Fair
Income $71k
Sweet Grass County1hosp
0.35× Fair
Income $69k
Sheridan County1hosp
0.35× Fair
Income $64k
Valley County1hosp
0.41× Fair
Income $65k
Wheatland County1hosp
0.41× Fair
Income $47k
Park County1hosp
0.43× Fair
Income $67k
Daniels County1hosp
0.46× Fair
Income $58k
Phillips County1hosp
0.77× Fair
Income $58k
Musselshell County1hosp
0.96× Fair
Income $59k
Richland County1hosp
1.03× Fair
Income $70k
Fergus County1hosp
1.06× Fair
Income $60k
Stillwater County1hosp
1.16× Fair
Income $82k
Lincoln County1hosp
1.20× Fair
Income $47k
Glacier County1hosp
1.20× Fair
Income $45k
Madison County1hosp
1.20× Fair
Income $67k
Rosebud County1hosp
1.20× Fair
Income $56k
Liberty County1hosp
1.20× Fair
Income $53k
Yellowstone County1hosp
1.72× Fair
Income $74k
Cascade County1hosp
1.72× Fair
Income $66k
Chouteau County1hosp
1.74× Fair
Income $57k
Beaverhead County1hosp
1.88× Fair
Income $58k
Silver Bow County1hosp
2.04× Fair
Income $58k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 56 total in Montana

All Hospitals in Montana (31)

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

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Compare Prices by Procedure in Montana (126)

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

Browse Montana by Metro Area

Local hospital comparison pages for each Montana regional market.

Which Insurers Negotiate Prices in Montana

Across the 31 Montana hospitals that publish negotiated rates, here is how many hospitals each major insurance carrier has an in-network contract with.

Blue Cross Blue Shield 26 of 31 hospitals
UnitedHealthcare 18 of 31 hospitals
Humana 14 of 31 hospitals
Aetna 9 of 31 hospitals
Cigna 9 of 31 hospitals

Also negotiating in Montana: PacificSource (12) · GEHA (6) · Health Net (3) · HealthPartners (1) · Medica (1) · Sanford Health Plan (1).

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 →