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CMS Price Transparency Data Hospital file updated: 2026-02-04

Inguinal hernia repair

Facility: Howard County Medical Center

Billing Code: 49505 (CPT)

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
$416Fair BaseRate (1.13× Market)
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+13% 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.

This hospital's typical commercial price is $468 compared to the $416 fair price benchmark.

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 · Clinical Quality & ER SpeedChecks whether higher hospital prices actually buy better clinical quality — combining CMS Star Ratings, hospital safety scores, and emergency room wait times.Regional Quality Benchmark
CMS Star RatingNot RatedOfficial CMS Overall Hospital Quality Star Rating (1 to 5 stars) summarizing mortality, safety of care, readmissions, and patient experience.
Safety ScoreNot ScoredComposite patient safety score (0–100) derived from CMS hospital-acquired infection rates (CLABSI, CAUTI, MRSA, C. diff), surgical complications, and HCAHPS surveys.
Typical ER WaitNo ER DataMedian minutes patients spent in the emergency department before leaving from the visit, as reported to CMS Timely and Effective Care.

Balances commercial hospital prices against CMS clinical safety, infection control, and patient experience.

The BaseRate · fair price medium confidence
A fair price for this
$416
about 0.1× the $3,658 Medicare rate · typically $416–$1,825
modeled estimate · not a bill or quote
What this hospital charges insurers
$468
About the fair price
about $52 over the fair price · 0.1× Medicare
Medicare pays $3,658 Fair price $416 This hospital $468 Cash price $1,029 Hospital's list price $1,029

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other NE hospitals

One of the lower prices — 6 of 8 other NE hospitals charge more for the same procedure.

Cheapest $455 Priciest $605

Black dot = this hospital, among the 9 NE hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a Inguinal hernia repair is about $416 (about 0.1× the $3,658 Medicare rate). Howard County Medical Center charges insurers about $468, or about $1,029 in cash — about the fair price. Located in St Paul, NE.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

4 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

UnitedHealthcareBlue Cross Blue ShieldAetnaHumana CignaKaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company Price range vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor $455 - $1,828 12%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor $455 - $2,173 12%
Aetnamajor $455 12%
Humanamajor $387 - $455 11%
Ambetter (Centene) $909 25%
Medica $455 - $894 12%
Molina $477 13%
Oscar Health $796 22%
WellCare $468 13%
+ 3 smaller / regional plans $455 - $940
Government programs also on file: Military & VA.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

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Facility Profile & Credentials

  • Address: P O Box 406, 1113 Sherman St, St Paul, NE 68873
  • CMS Rating: No CMS Rating
  • Ownership Type: Voluntary non-profit - Other
  • Hospital Type: Critical Access Hospitals

Other Procedures at Howard County Medical Center

Compare: Inguinal hernia repair at other NE hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.

Inline Bill X-Ray & 501(r) Calculator 501(c)(3) Nonprofit · Free Care ≤200% FPL · AGB Cap 36.3%

Audit a Bill or Quote at Howard County Medical Center (Zero PHI Required)

CMS CCN: 281338
CPT 49505
Fair BaseRate™ $416
Medicare Rate $3,658
Self-Pay Cash $1,029
Insurer Median $468
Pre-filled with Howard County Medical Center’s charged/list benchmark
Screened against 2026 HHS Federal Poverty Guidelines
2026 FPL: $15,650 + $5,500 per additional person
Step 1 · 501(r) Charity Care Check 501(r) AGB Cap: $374 (274% FPL)

Statutory 501(r) AGB Cap Limits Bill to $374

At 274% FPL (201%–400% FPL tier), 26 U.S.C. § 501(r)(5) caps FAP-eligible bills at Amounts Generally Billed (36.3% of gross = $374).

Step 2 · Cash vs. Insurance Arbitrage Published Cash: $1,029

Compare Prompt-Pay Cash Rate Against Remaining Deductible

Howard County Medical Center's published 45 CFR § 180 self-pay cash rate is $1,029 (vs. $468 commercial insurer median). Ask billing to reclassify the visit to prompt-pay self-pay if it beats your deductible.

Step 3 · Fair BaseRate Target +$613 Above Fair BaseRate

Negotiate Toward $416 Fair BaseRate ($3,658 Medicare)

Your bill ($1,029) is $613 above the denoised Fair BaseRate ($416) and 0.3× the $3,658 Medicare rate.

1-Click Factual Dispute Summary: Copy a citation-backed benchmark memo (with CMS CCN, CPT code, Medicare reference, Fair BaseRate, and 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) calculations) to paste into patient-portal messages or billing appeals.
Care-Setting Arbitrage, Bilateral SVD Insurer Leverage & Regional Alternatives

How to Pay Less Nearby: Freestanding Centers, Insurer Leverage & Outpatient Savings

45 CFR § 180 Primary-Source Lineage & Federal Verification Verified CMS CCN 281338

Verify the Raw Data: Official Hospital MRF, CMS Medicare.gov & Federal Filings

Download Official Hospital MRF ↗ Verify on CMS Medicare.gov (CCN 281338) ↗ CMS HCRIS Cost Reports ↗
Published MRF File470681056_howard-county-medical-center_standardcharges.csv
Publication / Vintage2026-02-04 · 85.63 MB
Validated Rate Rows811,802 (CMS v3.0.0)
File Integrity Digest94785ebbc44fd3456ab1…

Safe-Harbor Data Corrections: Parsed directly from public 45 CFR § 180 hospital filings, CMS Care Compare, and CMS HCRIS cost reports. Hospital compliance officers may submit updated MRF URLs or rate tables for verification.

Submit MRF Update Correction Policy