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County Price & Affordability Audit 10 of 12 Hospitals Priced Pop. 1,184,689 $94,658 Median Income

Salt Lake County, UT Hospital Rates

Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 12 mapped hospitals in Salt Lake 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
1.15×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+15% 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 +15% above the fair benchmark (1.15×) 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 · Salt Lake County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Salt Lake County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.10 of 12 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced10 of 12Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Salt Lake County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 12 local facilities.
Median Income$94.7k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Salt Lake County ($94,658/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate9.6%Percentage of Salt Lake 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 Audit10 of 12 Local Hospitals Priced

Salt Lake County, UT Hospital Price & Affordability Summary

Salt Lake County, Utah (pop. 1,184,689) has 12 CMS-certified hospitals (10 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.15× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $94,658 median household income.

County Price Index: 1.15× Fair MarketMedian Income: $94,658/yr
Advantage

Best Value & Patient Protections in Salt Lake County

  • 10 of 12 hospitals in Salt Lake County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Intermountain Medical Center, Intermountain Health Alta View Hospital, Lds Hospital).
  • High-rated local clinical care: Intermountain Medical Center (5/5 CMS Stars) and Intermountain Health Alta View Hospital (5/5 CMS Stars).
  • Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Salt Lake County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout

Where Salt Lake County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)

  • 2 facilities in Salt Lake County (Salt Lake Behavioral Health, Marian Center) lack an indexed MRF price schedule — always demand a written Good Faith Estimate before scheduling.
  • With a 9.6% local uninsured rate and $94,658 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 2.7 weeks of typical Salt Lake County family take-home pay.
  • Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Utah counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage83% Published
10 of 12 Hospitals

Includes Intermountain Medical Center & Intermountain Health Alta View 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 Salt Lake County.

Utah County Price & Affordability Heatmap 19 of 29 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Utah County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 29 counties in Utah

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 29 total in Utah

All Hospitals in Salt Lake County (12)

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

MRF Compliance: 10 of 12 Published

Compare Procedure Prices Across All Utah Hospitals

View statewide surgical, imaging, colonoscopy, and ER price rankings across all Utah facilities.

Browse All Utah Hospitals & Procedures →