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County Price & Affordability Audit 1 of 2 Hospitals Priced Pop. 73,154 $68,750 Median Income

Lea County, NM Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 2 mapped hospitals in Lea 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
0.96×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price4% 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.

Typical commercial prices here are 4% below the fair benchmark (0.96×) 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 · Lea County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Lea 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 Lea County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 2 local facilities.
Median Income$68.8k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Lea County ($68,750/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate14.3%Percentage of Lea 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

Lea County, NM Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Lea County, New Mexico (pop. 73,154) has 2 CMS-certified hospitals (1 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.96× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $68,750 median household income.

County Price Index: 0.96× Fair MarketMedian Income: $68,750/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Lea County

  • 1 of 2 hospitals in Lea County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Covenant Health Hobbs Hospital).
  • Local Lea 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 Lea County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Lea County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 1 facility in Lea County (Nor-Lea Hospital District) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 14.3% local uninsured rate and $68,750 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.8 weeks of typical Lea County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across New Mexico counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage50% Published
1 of 2 Hospitals

Includes Covenant Health Hobbs 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 Lea County.

New Mexico County Price & Affordability Heatmap 19 of 33 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

New Mexico County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 33 counties in New Mexico

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 33 total in New Mexico

All Hospitals in Lea County (2)

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

MRF Compliance: 1 of 2 Published

Compare Procedure Prices Across All New Mexico Hospitals

View statewide surgical, imaging, colonoscopy, and ER price rankings across all New Mexico facilities.

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