County Price & Affordability Audit
0 of 2 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 33,127
$71,457 Median Income
Howard County, TX Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 2 mapped hospitals in Howard 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
1.01×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 (1.01×) 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 · Howard County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Howard County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.0 of 2 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced0 of 2Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Howard County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 2 local facilities.
Median Income$71.5k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Howard County ($71,457/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate14.2%Percentage of Howard 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 Audit0 of 2 Local Hospitals Priced
Howard County, TX Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
Howard County, Texas (pop. 33,127) has 2 CMS-certified hospitals (0 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.01× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $71,457 median household income.
County Price Index: 1.01× Fair MarketMedian Income: $71,457/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in Howard County
- Compare published hospital price files in neighboring Texas counties below.
- Local Howard 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 Howard County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where Howard County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- 2 facilities in Howard County (Big Spring State Hospital, Scenic Mountain Medical Center) lack an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
- With a 14.2% local uninsured rate and $71,457 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.6 weeks of typical Howard 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 Coverage0% Published
0 of 2 Hospitals
Select any local hospital below to inspect its procedure rates.
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 Howard 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
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
El Paso County3hosps
0.95× Fair
Income $59k
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 Howard County (2)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- Big Spring State Hospital · Big Spring CMS CCN 454000 · Specialty / Outpatient CareNot Rated No MRF Indexed
- Scenic Mountain Medical Center · Big Spring CMS CCN 450653 · 24/7 Emergency ServicesNot Rated No MRF Indexed
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