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County Price & Affordability Audit 3 of 4 Hospitals Priced Pop. 418,725 $61,699 Median Income

Richland County, SC Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 4 mapped hospitals in Richland 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
1.09×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+9% 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 +9% above the fair benchmark (1.09×) 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 · Richland County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Richland County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.3 of 4 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced3 of 4Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Richland County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 4 local facilities.
Median Income$61.7k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Richland County ($61,699/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate8.8%Percentage of Richland 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 4 Local Hospitals Priced

Richland County, SC Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Richland County, South Carolina (pop. 418,725) has 4 CMS-certified hospitals (3 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.09× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $61,699 median household income.

County Price Index: 1.09× Fair MarketMedian Income: $61,699/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Richland County

  • 3 of 4 hospitals in Richland County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Prisma Health Baptist, Prisma Health Richland Hospital, MUSC Health Columbia Medical Center Downtown).
  • High-rated local clinical care: Prisma Health Baptist (4/5 CMS Stars).
  • Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Richland County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Richland County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 1 facility in Richland County (G Werber Bryan Psych Hosp) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 8.8% local uninsured rate and $61,699 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 4.2 weeks of typical Richland County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across South Carolina counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage75% Published
3 of 4 Hospitals

Includes Prisma Health Baptist & Prisma Health Richland 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 Richland County.

South Carolina County Price & Affordability Heatmap 31 of 46 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

South Carolina County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 46 counties in South Carolina

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Charleston County6hosps
1.11× Fair
Income $84k
Greenville County4hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $75k
Richland County3hosps
1.09× Fair
Income $62k
Horry County3hosps
1.11× Fair
Income $65k
Spartanburg County3hosps
1.36× Fair
Income $64k
Beaufort County2hosps
0.90× Fair
Income $85k
Florence County2hosps
1.33× Fair
Income $57k
Anderson County1hosp
0.65× Fair
Income $65k
Pickens County1hosp
0.67× Fair
Income $59k
Chesterfield County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $48k
Jasper County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $64k
Hampton County1hosp
0.91× Fair
Income $43k
Oconee County1hosp
0.98× Fair
Income $60k
Greenwood County1hosp
0.98× Fair
Income $51k
Abbeville County1hosp
0.98× Fair
Income $52k
Allendale County1hosp
0.98× Fair
Income $32k
Laurens County1hosp
1.00× Fair
Income $56k
Sumter County1hosp
1.01× Fair
Income $56k
Dorchester County1hosp
1.02× Fair
Income $77k
Newberry County1hosp
1.06× Fair
Income $60k
Kershaw County1hosp
1.07× Fair
Income $64k
Clarendon County1hosp
1.13× Fair
Income $49k
Aiken County1hosp
1.19× Fair
Income $68k
York County1hosp
1.26× Fair
Income $83k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 46 total in South Carolina

All Hospitals in Richland County (4)

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

MRF Compliance: 3 of 4 Published

Compare Procedure Prices Across All South Carolina Hospitals

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