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County Price & Affordability Audit 3 of 3 Hospitals Priced Pop. 48,255 $58,856 Median Income

Carter County, OK Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 3 mapped hospitals in Carter 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.Good Deal · Below Fair Market
0.82×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price18% 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 18% below the fair benchmark (0.82×) 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 · Carter County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Carter 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 Carter County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 3 local facilities.
Median Income$58.9k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Carter County ($58,856/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate14.0%Percentage of Carter 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

Carter County, OK Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Carter County, Oklahoma (pop. 48,255) has 3 CMS-certified hospitals (3 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.82× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $58,856 median household income.

County Price Index: 0.82× Fair MarketMedian Income: $58,856/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Carter County

  • 3 of 3 hospitals in Carter County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Mercy Hospital Ardmore, Inc, Mercy Hospital Healdton, Inc., Exceptional Community Hospital Ardmore).
  • High-rated local clinical care: Mercy Hospital Ardmore, Inc (4/5 CMS Stars).
  • Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Carter County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Carter County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • Hospital outpatient facility fees in Carter County can add 1.8×–3.0× over freestanding imaging and surgery centers for the exact same CPT code.
  • With a 14.0% local uninsured rate and $58,856 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 4.4 weeks of typical Carter County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Oklahoma counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage100% Published
3 of 3 Hospitals

Includes Mercy Hospital Ardmore, Inc & Mercy Hospital Healdton, Inc..

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 Carter County.

Oklahoma County Price & Affordability Heatmap 54 of 77 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Oklahoma County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 77 counties in Oklahoma

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Oklahoma County15hosps
1.18× Fair
Income $65k
Tulsa County11hosps
1.02× Fair
Income $67k
Carter County3hosps
0.82× Fair
Income $59k
Okmulgee County2hosps
0.99× Fair
Income $53k
Creek County2hosps
1.16× Fair
Income $62k
Garfield County2hosps
1.27× Fair
Income $67k
Blaine County2hosps
1.28× Fair
Income $59k
Cleveland County2hosps
1.30× Fair
Income $74k
Payne County2hosps
1.91× Fair
Income $49k
Kingfisher County1hosp
0.70× Fair
Income $71k
Love County1hosp
0.73× Fair
Income $63k
Kiowa County1hosp
0.73× Fair
Income $42k
Wagoner County1hosp
0.78× Fair
Income $79k
Haskell County1hosp
0.84× Fair
Income $50k
Beaver County1hosp
0.84× Fair
Income $64k
Woodward County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $65k
Ottawa County1hosp
0.91× Fair
Income $49k
Kay County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $57k
Delaware County1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $55k
McCurtain County1hosp
0.94× Fair
Income $50k
Choctaw County1hosp
0.96× Fair
Income $45k
Canadian County1hosp
0.97× Fair
Income $85k
Washington County1hosp
1.02× Fair
Income $61k
Bryan County1hosp
1.07× Fair
Income $54k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 77 total in Oklahoma

All Hospitals in Carter 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 Oklahoma Hospitals

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

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