County Price & Affordability Audit
1 of 1 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 10,604
$56,481 Median Income
Essex County, VA Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 1 mapped hospitals in Essex 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
1.45×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+45% 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 +45% above the fair benchmark (1.45×) 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 · Essex County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Essex County, U.S. Census median household income, local uninsured rate, and federal 200%–400% FPL charity-care income thresholds.1 of 1 Hospitals Priced
Hospitals Priced1 of 1Number of CMS-certified hospitals located inside Essex County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 1 local facilities.
Median Income$56.5k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Essex County ($56,481/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate10.1%Percentage of Essex 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 1 Local Hospitals Priced
Essex County, VA Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
Essex County, Virginia (pop. 10,604) has 1 CMS-certified hospitals (1 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.45× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $56,481 median household income.
County Price Index: 1.45× Fair MarketMedian Income: $56,481/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in Essex County
- 1 of 1 hospitals in Essex County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (Vcu Health Tappahannock Hospital).
- High-rated local clinical care: Vcu Health Tappahannock Hospital (4/5 CMS Stars).
- Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Essex County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where Essex County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- Hospital outpatient facility fees in Essex County can add 1.8×–3.0× over freestanding imaging and surgery centers for the exact same CPT code.
- With a 10.1% local uninsured rate and $56,481 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 4.6 weeks of typical Essex County family take-home pay.
- Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Virginia counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage100% Published
1 of 1 Hospitals
Includes Vcu Health Tappahannock 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 Essex County.
Virginia County Price & Affordability Heatmap
55 of 133 Counties with MRF Hospital Data
Virginia County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap
Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 133 counties in Virginia
<0.94× Affordable
0.94–1.06× Near Avg
1.06–1.20× Elevated
>1.20× High-Markup
Fairfax County5hosps
1.44× Fair
Income $150k
James City County3hosps
1.22× Fair
Income $107k
Richmond city3hosps
1.32× Fair
Income $63k
Norfolk city3hosps
1.35× Fair
Income $64k
Smyth County2hosps
0.93× Fair
Income $47k
Danville city2hosps
0.99× Fair
Income $43k
Newport News city2hosps
1.11× Fair
Income $67k
Suffolk city2hosps
1.19× Fair
Income $90k
Prince William County2hosps
1.29× Fair
Income $129k
Montgomery County2hosps
1.30× Fair
Income $71k
Virginia Beach city2hosps
1.37× Fair
Income $91k
Henrico County2hosps
1.39× Fair
Income $86k
Tazewell County2hosps
1.43× Fair
Income $46k
Loudoun County2hosps
1.48× Fair
Income $179k
Roanoke city1hosp
0.91× Fair
Income $53k
Franklin County1hosp
0.91× Fair
Income $68k
Buchanan County1hosp
0.91× Fair
Income $42k
Giles County1hosp
0.91× Fair
Income $65k
Lexington city1hosp
0.91× Fair
Income $90k
Augusta County1hosp
0.94× Fair
Income $80k
Russell County1hosp
0.96× Fair
Income $49k
Washington County1hosp
0.97× Fair
Income $63k
Wise County1hosp
0.97× Fair
Income $51k
Stafford County1hosp
0.98× Fair
Income $134k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 133 total in Virginia
All Hospitals in Essex County (1)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- Vcu Health Tappahannock Hospital · Tappahannock CMS CCN 490084 · 24/7 Emergency Services
Compare Procedure Prices Across All Virginia Hospitals
View statewide surgical, imaging, colonoscopy, and ER price rankings across all Virginia facilities.