County Price & Affordability Audit
0 of 1 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 8,341
$79,405 Median Income
Mercer County, ND Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 1 mapped hospitals in Mercer 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.Near Fair BaseRate Benchmark
1.00×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair PriceRight at U.S. Average (0%)
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 match the fair market benchmark (1.00×) 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 · Mercer County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Mercer County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.0 of 1 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced0 of 1Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Mercer County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 1 local facilities.
Median Income$79.4k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Mercer County ($79,405/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate8.0%Percentage of Mercer 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 Audit0 of 1 Local Hospitals Priced
Mercer County, ND Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
Mercer County, North Dakota (pop. 8,341) has 1 CMS-certified hospitals (0 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.00× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $79,405 median household income.
County Price Index: 1.00× Fair MarketMedian Income: $79,405/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in Mercer County
- Compare published hospital price files in neighboring North Dakota counties below.
- Local Mercer County households earning up to $31,920 (single) or $64,300 (family of 4) qualify for 200% FPL free charity care at nonprofit hospitals.
- Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Mercer County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where Mercer County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- 1 facility in Mercer County (Sakakawea Medical Center - Cah) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
- With a 8.0% local uninsured rate and $79,405 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.3 weeks of typical Mercer County family take-home pay.
- Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across North Dakota counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage0% Published
0 of 1 Hospitals
Select any local hospital below to inspect its procedure rates.
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 Mercer County.
North Dakota County Price & Affordability Heatmap
25 of 53 Counties with MRF Hospital Data
North Dakota County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap
Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 53 counties in North Dakota
<0.94× Affordable
0.94–1.06× Near Avg
1.06–1.20× Elevated
>1.20× High-Markup
Ward County2hosps
0.75× Fair
Income $79k
Cass County2hosps
0.94× Fair
Income $75k
Burleigh County2hosps
1.16× Fair
Income $85k
Williams County2hosps
1.98× Fair
Income $90k
McLean County2hosps
2.04× Fair
Income $82k
Bowman County1hosp
0.35× Fair
Income $84k
Grand Forks County1hosp
0.71× Fair
Income $68k
Towner County1hosp
0.86× Fair
Income $63k
Stutsman County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $60k
Rolette County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $57k
Ramsey County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $61k
Bottineau County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $83k
Ransom County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $75k
Dickey County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $63k
Wells County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $61k
McIntosh County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $64k
Mountrail County1hosp
1.55× Fair
Income $81k
McKenzie County1hosp
1.92× Fair
Income $88k
Emmons County1hosp
2.13× Fair
Income $67k
Walsh County1hosp
2.28× Fair
Income $70k
Stark County1hosp
2.50× Fair
Income $81k
Traill County1hosp
2.55× Fair
Income $88k
Barnes County1hosp
3.50× Fair
Income $70k
Foster County1hosp
3.50× Fair
Income $83k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 53 total in North Dakota
All Hospitals in Mercer County (1)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- Sakakawea Medical Center - Cah · Hazen CMS CCN 351310 · 24/7 Emergency ServicesNot Rated No MRF Indexed
Compare Procedure Prices Across All North Dakota Hospitals
View statewide surgical, imaging, colonoscopy, and ER price rankings across all North Dakota facilities.