County Price & Affordability Audit
1 of 2 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 50,323
$74,570 Median Income
Buffalo County, NE Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 2 mapped hospitals in Buffalo 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.High Markup · Shop Alternatives
1.92×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+92% 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 +92% above the fair benchmark (1.92×) 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 · Buffalo County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Buffalo County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.1 of 2 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced1 of 2Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Buffalo County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 2 local facilities.
Median Income$74.6k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Buffalo County ($74,570/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate7.5%Percentage of Buffalo 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 Audit1 of 2 Local Hospitals Priced
Buffalo County, NE Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
Buffalo County, Nebraska (pop. 50,323) has 2 CMS-certified hospitals (1 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.92× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $74,570 median household income.
County Price Index: 1.92× Fair MarketMedian Income: $74,570/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in Buffalo County
- 1 of 2 hospitals in Buffalo County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (CHI Health Good Samaritan).
- High-rated local clinical care: CHI Health Good Samaritan (4/5 CMS Stars) and Kearney Regional Medical Center (4/5 CMS Stars).
- Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Buffalo County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where Buffalo County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- 1 facility in Buffalo County (Kearney Regional Medical Center) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
- With a 7.5% local uninsured rate and $74,570 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.5 weeks of typical Buffalo County family take-home pay.
- Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Nebraska counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage50% Published
1 of 2 Hospitals
Includes CHI Health Good Samaritan.
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 Buffalo County.
Nebraska County Price & Affordability Heatmap
52 of 93 Counties with MRF Hospital Data
Nebraska County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap
Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 93 counties in Nebraska
<0.94× Affordable
0.94–1.06× Near Avg
1.06–1.20× Elevated
>1.20× High-Markup
Douglas County10hosps
1.35× Fair
Income $79k
Lancaster County3hosps
1.42× Fair
Income $73k
Dawson County3hosps
2.44× Fair
Income $65k
Sarpy County2hosps
1.21× Fair
Income $101k
Otoe County2hosps
1.50× Fair
Income $81k
Custer County2hosps
2.59× Fair
Income $66k
Pierce County2hosps
3.25× Fair
Income $76k
Cuming County1hosp
0.61× Fair
Income $71k
Valley County1hosp
0.74× Fair
Income $59k
Fillmore County1hosp
0.80× Fair
Income $76k
Adams County1hosp
0.89× Fair
Income $66k
Scotts Bluff County1hosp
0.94× Fair
Income $61k
Madison County1hosp
0.99× Fair
Income $65k
Platte County1hosp
1.01× Fair
Income $72k
Red Willow County1hosp
1.02× Fair
Income $60k
Howard County1hosp
1.04× Fair
Income $75k
Gage County1hosp
1.15× Fair
Income $64k
Saline County1hosp
1.15× Fair
Income $77k
Richardson County1hosp
1.15× Fair
Income $56k
Thurston County1hosp
1.15× Fair
Income $65k
Nuckolls County1hosp
1.15× Fair
Income $70k
Webster County1hosp
1.15× Fair
Income $65k
Garden County1hosp
1.15× Fair
Income $45k
Holt County1hosp
1.18× Fair
Income $67k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 93 total in Nebraska
All Hospitals in Buffalo County (2)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- CHI Health Good Samaritan · Kearney CMS CCN 280009 · 24/7 Emergency Services
- Kearney Regional Medical Center · Kearney CMS CCN 280134 · 24/7 Emergency Services4/5 CMS Stars No MRF Indexed
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