County Price & Affordability Audit
1 of 2 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 38,079
$70,239 Median Income
Brown County, SD Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 2 mapped hospitals in Brown 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
0.95×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price5% 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 5% below the fair benchmark (0.95×) 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 · Brown County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Brown County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.1 of 2 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced1 of 2Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Brown County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 2 local facilities.
Median Income$70.2k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Brown County ($70,239/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate7.5%Percentage of Brown 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 Audit1 of 2 Local Hospitals Priced
Brown County, SD Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
Brown County, South Dakota (pop. 38,079) has 2 CMS-certified hospitals (1 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.95× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $70,239 median household income.
County Price Index: 0.95× Fair MarketMedian Income: $70,239/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in Brown County
- 1 of 2 hospitals in Brown County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Sanford Medical Center Aberdeen).
- High-rated local clinical care: Avera St Lukes (4/5 CMS Stars) and Sanford Medical Center Aberdeen (4/5 CMS Stars).
- Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Brown County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where Brown County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- 1 facility in Brown County (Avera St Lukes) lacks an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
- With a 7.5% local uninsured rate and $70,239 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.7 weeks of typical Brown County family take-home pay.
- Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across South Dakota counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage50% Published
1 of 2 Hospitals
Includes Sanford Medical Center Aberdeen.
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 Brown County.
South Dakota County Price & Affordability Heatmap
19 of 66 Counties with MRF Hospital Data
South Dakota County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap
Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 66 counties in South Dakota
<0.94× Affordable
0.94–1.06× Near Avg
1.06–1.20× Elevated
>1.20× High-Markup
Pennington County2hosps
0.94× Fair
Income $71k
Minnehaha County2hosps
1.07× Fair
Income $76k
Walworth County1hosp
0.37× Fair
Income $63k
Douglas County1hosp
0.62× Fair
Income $78k
Brown County1hosp
0.95× Fair
Income $70k
Lincoln County1hosp
0.97× Fair
Income $97k
Clay County1hosp
0.97× Fair
Income $59k
Roberts County1hosp
0.97× Fair
Income $64k
Turner County1hosp
0.97× Fair
Income $75k
Tripp County1hosp
0.97× Fair
Income $59k
Day County1hosp
0.97× Fair
Income $62k
Brule County1hosp
0.97× Fair
Income $74k
Faulk County1hosp
0.98× Fair
Income $58k
Edmunds County1hosp
0.99× Fair
Income $77k
Beadle County1hosp
1.12× Fair
Income $63k
Union County1hosp
1.48× Fair
Income $84k
Lawrence County1hosp
1.58× Fair
Income $67k
Brookings County1hosp
1.66× Fair
Income $67k
Deuel County1hosp
3.39× Fair
Income $80k
Meade County0hosps
0.97× Fair
Income $74k
Codington County0hosps
0.97× Fair
Income $65k
Yankton County0hosps
0.97× Fair
Income $74k
Davison County0hosps
0.97× Fair
Income $61k
Hughes County0hosps
0.97× Fair
Income $79k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 66 total in South Dakota
All Hospitals in Brown County (2)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- Avera St Lukes · Aberdeen CMS CCN 430014 · 24/7 Emergency Services4/5 CMS Stars No MRF Indexed
- Sanford Medical Center Aberdeen · Aberdeen CMS CCN 430097 · 24/7 Emergency Services
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