County Price & Affordability Audit
8 of 11 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 866,275
$58,859 Median Income
El Paso County, TX Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 11 mapped hospitals in El Paso 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 · El Paso County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in El Paso County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.8 of 11 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced8 of 11Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside El Paso County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 11 local facilities.
Median Income$58.9k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in El Paso County ($58,859/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate21.9%Percentage of El Paso 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 Audit8 of 11 Local Hospitals Priced
El Paso County, TX Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
El Paso County, Texas (pop. 866,275) has 11 CMS-certified hospitals (8 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 0.95× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $58,859 median household income.
County Price Index: 0.95× Fair MarketMedian Income: $58,859/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in El Paso County
- 8 of 11 hospitals in El Paso County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Las Palmas Medical Center A Campus of Lpds Healthc, El Paso Children's Hospital, University Medical Center of El Paso).
- Local El Paso County 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 El Paso County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where El Paso County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- 3 facilities in El Paso County (El Paso Behavioral Health System, El Paso Psychiatric Center) lack an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
- With a 21.9% local uninsured rate and $58,859 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 4.4 weeks of typical El Paso County family take-home pay.
- Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Texas counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage73% Published
8 of 11 Hospitals
Includes Las Palmas Medical Center A Campus of Lpds Healthc & El Paso Children's 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 El Paso County.
Texas County Price & Affordability Heatmap
149 of 254 Counties with MRF Hospital Data
Texas County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap
Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 254 counties in Texas
<0.94× Affordable
0.94–1.06× Near Avg
1.06–1.20× Elevated
>1.20× High-Markup
Harris County28hosps
1.41× Fair
Income $73k
Dallas County24hosps
1.10× Fair
Income $74k
Tarrant County24hosps
1.23× Fair
Income $82k
Collin County17hosps
1.22× Fair
Income $118k
Travis County12hosps
1.10× Fair
Income $97k
El Paso County8hosps
0.95× Fair
Income $59k
Bexar County8hosps
1.04× Fair
Income $71k
Montgomery County8hosps
1.45× Fair
Income $97k
Denton County7hosps
1.08× Fair
Income $108k
Fort Bend County7hosps
1.37× Fair
Income $113k
Williamson County7hosps
1.75× Fair
Income $108k
Hidalgo County6hosps
1.08× Fair
Income $52k
Lubbock County5hosps
1.76× Fair
Income $63k
Cameron County3hosps
1.04× Fair
Income $51k
Hays County3hosps
1.04× Fair
Income $86k
Ellis County3hosps
1.08× Fair
Income $96k
Jefferson County3hosps
1.10× Fair
Income $60k
Wichita County3hosps
1.18× Fair
Income $62k
Smith County3hosps
1.23× Fair
Income $72k
Grayson County3hosps
1.80× Fair
Income $70k
Potter County3hosps
2.79× Fair
Income $50k
Cooke County2hosps
0.92× Fair
Income $72k
Pecos County2hosps
1.01× Fair
Income $68k
Webb County2hosps
1.02× Fair
Income $63k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 254 total in Texas
All Hospitals in El Paso County (11)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- Las Palmas Medical Center A Campus of Lpds Healthc · El Paso CMS CCN 450107 · 24/7 Emergency Services
- El Paso Behavioral Health System · El Paso CMS CCN 454109 · Specialty / Outpatient CareNot Rated No MRF Indexed
- El Paso Children's Hospital · El Paso CMS CCN 453313 · 24/7 Emergency Services
- El Paso Psychiatric Center · El Paso CMS CCN 454100 · Specialty / Outpatient CareNot Rated No MRF Indexed
- Rio Vista Behavioral Health · El Paso CMS CCN 454146 · Specialty / Outpatient CareNot Rated No MRF Indexed
- University Medical Center of El Paso · El Paso CMS CCN 450024 · 24/7 Emergency Services
- The Hospitals of Providence - Memorial Campus · El Paso CMS CCN 450002 · 24/7 Emergency Services2/5 CMS Stars MRF Published
- The Hospitals of Providence - East Campus · El Paso CMS CCN 670047 · 24/7 Emergency Services2/5 CMS Stars MRF Published
- Sierra Medical Center · El Paso CMS CCN 450668 · 24/7 Emergency Services2/5 CMS Stars MRF Published
- The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain Campus · El Paso CMS CCN 670120 · 24/7 Emergency Services2/5 CMS Stars MRF Published
- The Hospitals of Providence Horizon City Campus · Horizon City CMS CCN 670124 · 24/7 Emergency ServicesNot Rated MRF Published
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