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County Price & Affordability Audit 3 of 3 Hospitals Priced Pop. 24,020 $65,383 Median Income

Dawson County, NE Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 3 mapped hospitals in Dawson 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
2.44×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+144% 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 +144% above the fair benchmark (2.44×) 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 · Dawson County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Dawson County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.3 of 3 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced3 of 3Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Dawson County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 3 local facilities.
Median Income$65.4k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Dawson County ($65,383/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate11.5%Percentage of Dawson 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 Audit3 of 3 Local Hospitals Priced

Dawson County, NE Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Dawson County, Nebraska (pop. 24,020) has 3 CMS-certified hospitals (3 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 2.44× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $65,383 median household income.

County Price Index: 2.44× Fair MarketMedian Income: $65,383/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Dawson County

  • 3 of 3 hospitals in Dawson County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Gothenburg Health, Cozad Community Hospital, Lexington Regional Health Center).
  • Local Dawson 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 Dawson County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Dawson County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • Hospital outpatient facility fees in Dawson County can add 1.8×–3.0× over freestanding imaging and surgery centers for the exact same CPT code.
  • With a 11.5% local uninsured rate and $65,383 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 4.0 weeks of typical Dawson 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 Coverage100% Published
3 of 3 Hospitals

Includes Gothenburg Health & Cozad Community Hospital.

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 Dawson 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 Dawson County (3)

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

MRF Compliance: 3 of 3 Published

Compare Procedure Prices Across All Nebraska Hospitals

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