County Price & Affordability Audit
1 of 1 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 27,944
$19,323 Median Income
Lares Municipio, PR Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 1 mapped hospitals in Lares Municipio.
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
0.77×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price23% 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 23% below the fair benchmark (0.77×) 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 · Lares Municipio Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Lares Municipio, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.1 of 1 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced1 of 1Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Lares Municipio that have published machine-readable price files out of all 1 local facilities.
Median Income$19.3k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Lares Municipio ($19,323/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate5.9%Percentage of Lares Municipio 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 1 Local Hospitals Priced
Lares Municipio, PR Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
Lares Municipio, Puerto Rico (pop. 27,944) has 1 CMS-certified hospitals (1 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.77× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $19,323 median household income.
County Price Index: 0.77× Fair MarketMedian Income: $19,323/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in Lares Municipio
- 1 of 1 hospitals in Lares Municipio publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Hospital General De Castaner).
- Local Lares Municipio 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 Lares Municipio families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where Lares Municipio Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- Hospital outpatient facility fees in Lares Municipio can add 1.8×–3.0× over freestanding imaging and surgery centers for the exact same CPT code.
- With a 5.9% local uninsured rate and $19,323 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 12.5 weeks of typical Lares Municipio family take-home pay.
- Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Puerto Rico counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage100% Published
1 of 1 Hospitals
Includes Hospital General De Castaner.
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 Lares Municipio.
Puerto Rico County Price & Affordability Heatmap
8 of 78 Counties with MRF Hospital Data
Puerto Rico County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap
Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 78 counties in Puerto Rico
<0.94× Affordable
0.94–1.06× Near Avg
1.06–1.20× Elevated
>1.20× High-Markup
San Juan Municipio6hosps
1.05× Fair
Income $27k
Arecibo Municipio2hosps
1.13× Fair
Income $23k
Fajardo Municipio1hosp
0.42× Fair
Income $25k
Lares Municipio1hosp
0.77× Fair
Income $19k
Ponce Municipio1hosp
0.92× Fair
Income $19k
Mayagüez Municipio1hosp
1.17× Fair
Income $18k
Dorado Municipio1hosp
1.28× Fair
Income $33k
Aguadilla Municipio1hosp
1.29× Fair
Income $20k
Bayamón Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $31k
Carolina Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $35k
Caguas Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $30k
Guaynabo Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $46k
Toa Baja Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $30k
Trujillo Alto Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $39k
Toa Alta Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $33k
Vega Baja Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $24k
Humacao Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $26k
Cabo Rojo Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $26k
RÃo Grande Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $27k
Juana DÃaz Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $24k
Isabela Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $20k
Canóvanas Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $27k
Cayey Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $28k
Gurabo Municipio0hosps
0.77× Fair
Income $40k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 78 total in Puerto Rico
All Hospitals in Lares Municipio (1)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- Hospital General De Castaner · Castaner CMS CCN 400010 · 24/7 Emergency Services
Compare Procedure Prices Across All Puerto Rico Hospitals
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