CMS Price Transparency Data

Bunion correction surgery

Facility: Porter Hospital Inc

Billing Code: 28296 (CPT)

The BaseRate · fair price high confidence

A fair price for this

$641

about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate · typically $575–$1,620

modeled estimate · not a bill or quote

What this hospital charges insurers

$816

Above the fair price

about $175 over the fair price · 0.2× Medicare

Medicare pays $3,343 Fair price $641 This hospital $816 Cash price $1,336 Hospital's list price $1,336

How we calculate the fair BaseRate →

How this hospital compares to other VT hospitals

One of the lower prices — 5 of 6 other VT hospitals charge more for the same procedure.

Cheapest $760 Priciest $1,340

Black dot = this hospital, among the 7 VT hospitals with a price for this procedure. Full list below.

A fair price for a Bunion correction surgery is about $641 (about 0.2× the $3,343 Medicare rate). Porter Hospital Inc charges insurers about $816, or about $1,336 in cash — above the fair price. Located in Middlebury, VT.

This price is above the fair BaseRate — you may be able to pay less

Ask the hospital for the cash / self-pay price, check whether you qualify for financial assistance, or negotiate the bill down toward the fair price of about $641. Many patients pay well below the first number they’re quoted — the checklists below walk you through it.

What each insurance company pays

Which insurers have negotiated a price with this hospital for this procedure — and which haven’t.

5 of 6 major insurers have a published price at this hospital

✓ UnitedHealthcare✓ Blue Cross Blue Shield✓ Aetna✓ Cigna✓ Humana Kaiser Permanente

Crossed out = this hospital hasn’t published a negotiated price for that insurer for this procedure. It doesn’t necessarily mean they aren’t accepted — ask your insurer.

Insurance company	Price range	vs. Medicare
UnitedHealthcaremajor	$571 - $1,927	17%
Blue Cross Blue Shieldmajor	$568 - $1,035	17%
Aetnamajor	$494 - $643	15%
Cignamajor	$1,629	49%
Humanamajor	$470 - $3,082	14%
Fidelis Care	$445	13%
Harvard Pilgrim	$582	17%
MVP Health Care	$420 - $1,724	13%
+ 3 smaller / regional plans	$816 - $1,328

Government programs also on file: Military & VA.

Excludes 2 rental-network / third-party entries (e.g. Multiplan, PHCS) — these are pricing networks, not insurers.

Self-Pay How to get the cash price

Tell the billing desk you want to be billed as self-pay — not through insurance — before your visit.
Ask for the cash / prompt-pay discount in writing, with the exact price (about 1,336), before you agree to anything.
Get it in writing that they won’t also bill your insurance, so the cash price is what you owe.
Check the CPT code on your bill matches exactly: 28296.

Insurance Before you use insurance

Call your insurance company to confirm Porter Hospital Inc is in-network.
Ask your insurer whether prior approval is required for CPT code 28296.
Confirm the doctor or provider is in-network too — not just the hospital building.
Check your Explanation of Benefits against the hospital’s final itemized bill.

Estimate your out-of-pocket cost

A rough estimate of what you’d pay with insurance (deductible + coinsurance) versus paying the cash price yourself.

How you’d pay

Deductible left to meet ($)

Your coinsurance (%)

Enter your details and press estimate to compare.

Other Procedures at Porter Hospital Inc

Compare: Bunion correction surgery at other VT hospitals

Insurance negotiated median for the same procedure, sorted lowest first.