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County Price & Affordability Audit 3 of 3 Hospitals Priced Pop. 287,484 $74,159 Median Income

Dauphin County, PA Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 3 mapped hospitals in Dauphin 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 · Dauphin County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 3 local facilities.
Median Income$74.2k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Dauphin County ($74,159/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate6.3%Percentage of Dauphin 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

Dauphin County, PA Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Dauphin County, Pennsylvania (pop. 287,484) has 3 CMS-certified hospitals (3 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.98× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $74,159 median household income.

County Price Index: 0.98× Fair MarketMedian Income: $74,159/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Dauphin County

  • 3 of 3 hospitals in Dauphin County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Milton S Hershey Medical Center, UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals, Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute).
  • High-rated local clinical care: Milton S Hershey Medical Center (4/5 CMS Stars) and UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals (4/5 CMS Stars).
  • Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Dauphin County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Dauphin County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • Hospital outpatient facility fees in Dauphin County can add 1.8×–3.0× over freestanding imaging and surgery centers for the exact same CPT code.
  • With a 6.3% local uninsured rate and $74,159 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.5 weeks of typical Dauphin County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Pennsylvania counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage100% Published
3 of 3 Hospitals

Includes Milton S Hershey Medical Center & UPMC Pinnacle Hospitals.

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 Dauphin County.

Pennsylvania County Price & Affordability Heatmap 49 of 67 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Pennsylvania County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 67 counties in Pennsylvania

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Allegheny County16hosps
1.15× Fair
Income $76k
Philadelphia County13hosps
1.17× Fair
Income $61k
Montgomery County7hosps
0.97× Fair
Income $112k
Bucks County6hosps
1.10× Fair
Income $112k
Lancaster County4hosps
1.61× Fair
Income $84k
York County4hosps
1.89× Fair
Income $82k
Somerset County3hosps
0.74× Fair
Income $59k
Washington County3hosps
0.89× Fair
Income $77k
Lycoming County3hosps
0.90× Fair
Income $64k
Schuylkill County3hosps
0.94× Fair
Income $67k
Berks County3hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $78k
Westmoreland County3hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $72k
Lehigh County3hosps
0.98× Fair
Income $77k
Dauphin County3hosps
0.98× Fair
Income $74k
Erie County3hosps
0.98× Fair
Income $61k
Chester County3hosps
1.13× Fair
Income $123k
Blair County2hosps
0.80× Fair
Income $61k
Fayette County2hosps
0.81× Fair
Income $56k
Mercer County2hosps
0.89× Fair
Income $61k
Lackawanna County2hosps
0.92× Fair
Income $65k
Luzerne County2hosps
0.93× Fair
Income $62k
Cumberland County2hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $86k
Monroe County2hosps
0.97× Fair
Income $82k
Crawford County2hosps
1.14× Fair
Income $60k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 67 total in Pennsylvania

All Hospitals in Dauphin 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

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