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County Price & Affordability Audit 6 of 9 Hospitals Priced Pop. 950,044 $71,175 Median Income

Erie County, NY Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 9 mapped hospitals in Erie 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
0.98×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 (0.98×) 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 · Erie County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Erie County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.6 of 9 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced6 of 9Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Erie County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 9 local facilities.
Median Income$71.2k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Erie County ($71,175/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate2.8%Percentage of Erie 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 Audit6 of 9 Local Hospitals Priced

Erie County, NY Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Erie County, New York (pop. 950,044) has 9 CMS-certified hospitals (6 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.98× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $71,175 median household income.

County Price Index: 0.98× Fair MarketMedian Income: $71,175/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Erie County

  • 6 of 9 hospitals in Erie County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Mercy Hospital of Buffalo, Kenmore Mercy Hospital, Erie County Medical Center).
  • Local Erie 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 Erie County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Erie County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 3 facilities in Erie County (Brylin Hosp, Buffalo Psychiatric Center) lack an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 2.8% local uninsured rate and $71,175 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.7 weeks of typical Erie County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across New York counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage67% Published
6 of 9 Hospitals

Includes Mercy Hospital of Buffalo & Kenmore Mercy 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 Erie County.

New York County Price & Affordability Heatmap 46 of 62 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

New York County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 62 counties in New York

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Kings County7hosps
1.04× Fair
Income $79k
Erie County6hosps
0.98× Fair
Income $71k
Queens County5hosps
1.03× Fair
Income $85k
Suffolk County5hosps
1.04× Fair
Income $128k
New York County5hosps
1.46× Fair
Income $105k
Nassau County4hosps
0.98× Fair
Income $143k
Westchester County4hosps
1.14× Fair
Income $118k
Orange County4hosps
1.84× Fair
Income $96k
Ontario County2hosps
0.83× Fair
Income $80k
Franklin County2hosps
0.90× Fair
Income $64k
Steuben County2hosps
0.91× Fair
Income $65k
Chautauqua County2hosps
0.95× Fair
Income $57k
Niagara County2hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $68k
Bronx County2hosps
1.09× Fair
Income $49k
Monroe County2hosps
1.17× Fair
Income $74k
Onondaga County2hosps
1.17× Fair
Income $75k
Albany County2hosps
1.19× Fair
Income $83k
Ulster County2hosps
1.37× Fair
Income $82k
Rockland County2hosps
1.42× Fair
Income $111k
Delaware County2hosps
2.05× Fair
Income $60k
Yates County1hosp
0.51× Fair
Income $68k
Essex County1hosp
0.74× Fair
Income $70k
Clinton County1hosp
0.79× Fair
Income $69k
Otsego County1hosp
0.83× Fair
Income $67k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 62 total in New York

All Hospitals in Erie County (9)

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

MRF Compliance: 6 of 9 Published

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