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County Price & Affordability Audit 8 of 12 Hospitals Priced Pop. 827,878 $70,816 Median Income

Hamilton County, OH Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 12 mapped hospitals in Hamilton 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.Above Fair Market · Negotiate
1.16×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+16% 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 +16% above the fair benchmark (1.16×) 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 · Hamilton County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Hamilton County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.8 of 12 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced8 of 12Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Hamilton County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 12 local facilities.
Median Income$70.8k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Hamilton County ($70,816/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate5.8%Percentage of Hamilton 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 Audit8 of 12 Local Hospitals Priced

Hamilton County, OH Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Hamilton County, Ohio (pop. 827,878) has 12 CMS-certified hospitals (8 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.16× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $70,816 median household income.

County Price Index: 1.16× Fair MarketMedian Income: $70,816/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Hamilton County

  • 8 of 12 hospitals in Hamilton County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (University of Cincinnati Medical Center, LLC, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Christ Hospital).
  • High-rated local clinical care: Christ Hospital (5/5 CMS Stars) and Mercy Health - West Hospital (4/5 CMS Stars).
  • Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Hamilton County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Hamilton County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 4 facilities in Hamilton County (Summit Behavioral Healthcare, Blueridge Vista Health and Wellness) lack an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 5.8% local uninsured rate and $70,816 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.7 weeks of typical Hamilton County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Ohio counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage67% Published
8 of 12 Hospitals

Includes University of Cincinnati Medical Center, LLC & Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center.

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 Hamilton County.

Ohio County Price & Affordability Heatmap 69 of 88 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Ohio County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 88 counties in Ohio

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Cuyahoga County17hosps
1.12× Fair
Income $63k
Franklin County10hosps
1.32× Fair
Income $74k
Hamilton County8hosps
1.16× Fair
Income $71k
Summit County5hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $71k
Montgomery County5hosps
1.16× Fair
Income $64k
Ashtabula County5hosps
1.21× Fair
Income $56k
Lorain County4hosps
0.95× Fair
Income $71k
Allen County4hosps
1.12× Fair
Income $62k
Butler County4hosps
1.19× Fair
Income $81k
Richland County3hosps
0.90× Fair
Income $58k
Lucas County3hosps
1.01× Fair
Income $60k
Warren County3hosps
1.12× Fair
Income $108k
Stark County3hosps
1.17× Fair
Income $66k
Williams County2hosps
0.89× Fair
Income $62k
Trumbull County2hosps
0.92× Fair
Income $55k
Sandusky County2hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $63k
Mahoning County2hosps
1.00× Fair
Income $56k
Medina County2hosps
1.10× Fair
Income $93k
Greene County2hosps
1.19× Fair
Income $85k
Fairfield County2hosps
1.21× Fair
Income $87k
Miami County2hosps
1.23× Fair
Income $74k
Hancock County2hosps
1.27× Fair
Income $70k
Highland County2hosps
1.41× Fair
Income $62k
Scioto County2hosps
1.57× Fair
Income $50k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 88 total in Ohio

All Hospitals in Hamilton County (12)

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

MRF Compliance: 8 of 12 Published

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