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State Price Transparency Index 73 Mapped Hospitals 135 Shoppable Procedures −7% vs. U.S. Median (near the U.S. average)

North Carolina Hospital Rates

Compare cash discount rates, commercial insurance prices, and fair price benchmarks across all 73 North Carolina 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.Good Deal · Below Fair Market
0.93×vs. U.S. Fair Price Average
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price7% 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 73 North Carolina hospitals, typical commercial prices average 7% below the U.S. fair price (0.93×) 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 · North Carolina Market & Best ValueSummarizes statewide hospital price coverage across North Carolina, the average commercial markup over federal Medicare rates, and the #1 best-value hospital in the state.73 Hospitals · 135 Procedures
Hospitals Priced73 in NCTotal hospitals in North Carolina with verified machine-readable price disclosures indexed in the Crystal.
Avg vs. Medicare1.6× MedicareAverage commercial insurance negotiated rate across North Carolina hospitals compared to what federal Medicare pays for the same procedure.
Best Value in NC0.56× FairLowest confounder-adjusted hospital in North Carolina: Dlp Swain County Hospital LLC (Bryson City) at 0.56× fair market price.

Most affordable North Carolina hospital: Dlp Swain County Hospital LLC (Bryson City) at 0.56× the fair price (44% below benchmark).

Statewide Hospital Pricing Fingerprint73 North Carolina Hospitals Analyzed

North Carolina Statewide Hospital Pricing Summary

Across 73 reporting hospitals and 135 shoppable procedures in North Carolina, typical commercial insurance rates sit at 0.93× the U.S. fair price average (1.6× federal Medicare rates). However, prices vary by 4.2× across the state — from 0.56× fair price at the most affordable hospitals up to 2.37× at high-markup facilities.

State Price Index: 0.93× U.S. Fair AverageAvg Commercial Rate: 1.6× Medicare
Advantage

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

  • Best-value hospital in North Carolina: Dlp Swain County Hospital LLC (Bryson City) prices care at 0.56× the fair price benchmark.
  • Additional low-cost leaders include Haywood Regional Medical Center (Clyde, 0.82× fair) and Atrium Health Cleveland (0.84× fair).
  • Bottom-quartile North Carolina hospitals (Q25) charge 0.92× the fair price or less — comparing quotes before scheduling elective care saves 25%–45%.
  • Nonprofit 501(c)(3) hospitals across North Carolina must provide free or discounted charity care under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) income rules.
Watchout

Where North Carolina Patients Get Burned (High-Markup Traps)

  • Highest-markup North Carolina facilities reach 5.7× Medicare (Erlanger Murphy Medical Center in Murphy, Carolinas Rehabilitation).
  • Prices for the exact same procedure swing 4.2× between the lowest-priced (0.56×) and highest-priced (2.37×) hospitals in North Carolina.
  • Emergency room, lab, and outpatient surgery facility fees carry significantly higher markups than pre-scheduled imaging or freestanding centers.
Most Affordable NC Hospitals (Bottom 25%)Best Value Tier
0.56× – 0.92× Fair

Led by Dlp Swain County Hospital LLC (Bryson City) at 0.56× fair price.

Typical North Carolina Hospital (State Median)1.6× Medicare
1.01× Fair Price

Middle-of-the-pack commercial rate across all 73 North Carolina hospitals.

Highest-Markup NC Hospitals (Top 25%)4.2× State Spread
1.37× – 2.37× Fair

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

North Carolina County Price & Affordability Heatmap 51 of 100 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

North Carolina County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 100 counties in North Carolina

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Mecklenburg County8hosps
1.20× Fair
Income $84k
Forsyth County3hosps
1.22× Fair
Income $66k
Wake County3hosps
1.40× Fair
Income $102k
Durham County2hosps
0.90× Fair
Income $80k
Macon County2hosps
1.09× Fair
Income $53k
Catawba County2hosps
1.17× Fair
Income $65k
Davidson County2hosps
1.45× Fair
Income $62k
Guilford County2hosps
1.73× Fair
Income $66k
Swain County1hosp
0.56× Fair
Income $55k
Haywood County1hosp
0.82× Fair
Income $61k
Cleveland County1hosp
0.84× Fair
Income $56k
Surry County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $56k
Vance County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $47k
Stanly County1hosp
0.88× Fair
Income $62k
Carteret County1hosp
0.89× Fair
Income $70k
Union County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $99k
Cabarrus County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $86k
Columbus County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $48k
Pasquotank County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $64k
Lincoln County1hosp
0.91× Fair
Income $78k
Sampson County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $53k
Anson County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $44k
Stokes County1hosp
0.93× Fair
Income $60k
Bladen County1hosp
0.93× Fair
Income $45k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 100 total in North Carolina

All Hospitals in North Carolina (73)

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 North Carolina (135)

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

Browse North Carolina by Metro Area

Local hospital comparison pages for each North Carolina regional market.

Which Insurers Negotiate Prices in North Carolina

Across the 74 North Carolina hospitals that publish negotiated rates, here is how many hospitals each major insurance carrier has an in-network contract with.

Aetna 71 of 74 hospitals
Blue Cross Blue Shield 70 of 74 hospitals
UnitedHealthcare 66 of 74 hospitals
Cigna 64 of 74 hospitals
Humana 64 of 74 hospitals

Also negotiating in North Carolina: AmeriHealth (57) · WellCare (56) · Ambetter (Centene) (31) · CareSource (25) · Devoted Health (17) · Health Net (13).

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 →