County Price & Affordability Audit
1 of 1 Hospitals Priced
Pop. 228,432
$80,989 Median Income
Whatcom County, WA Hospital Rates
Compare hospital price transparency compliance, fair price benchmarks, and local household charity-care eligibility across all 1 mapped hospitals in Whatcom 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
1.12×vs. Fair Market Price
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+12% 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 +12% above the fair benchmark (1.12×) 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 · Whatcom County Affordability & CoverageSummarizes local hospital price disclosure compliance in Whatcom 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 Whatcom County that have published machine-readable price files out of all 1 local facilities.
Median Income$81.0k / yrU.S. Census ACS median annual household income in Whatcom County ($80,989/yr), used to measure medical bill burden and charity-care eligibility.
Uninsured Rate5.6%Percentage of Whatcom 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
Whatcom County, WA Hospital Price & Affordability Summary
Whatcom County, Washington (pop. 228,432) has 1 CMS-certified hospitals (1 publishing verified machine-readable price files) with a local price index of 1.12× the U.S. fair price benchmark and a $80,989 median household income.
County Price Index: 1.12× Fair MarketMedian Income: $80,989/yr
Advantage
Best Value & Patient Protections in Whatcom County
- 1 of 1 hospitals in Whatcom County publish verified 45 CFR § 180 price files (St Joseph Hospital).
- High-rated local clinical care: St Joseph Hospital (4/5 CMS Stars).
- Under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r), nonprofit hospitals must provide discounted Financial Assistance Policy (FAP) rates for Whatcom County families earning up to $128,600/yr (400% FPL).
Watchout
Where Whatcom County Patients Get Burned (Billing Watchouts)
- Hospital outpatient facility fees in Whatcom County can add 1.8×–3.0× over freestanding imaging and surgery centers for the exact same CPT code.
- With a 5.6% local uninsured rate and $80,989 median household income, an unnegotiated $5,000 hospital bill equals 3.2 weeks of typical Whatcom County family take-home pay.
- Emergency department and inpatient ancillary charges vary significantly across Washington counties — inspect each hospital's profile below before paying a full chargemaster bill.
County MRF Price Coverage100% Published
1 of 1 Hospitals
Includes St Joseph 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 Whatcom County.
Washington County Price & Affordability Heatmap
25 of 39 Counties with MRF Hospital Data
Washington County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap
Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 39 counties in Washington
<0.94× Affordable
0.94–1.06× Near Avg
1.06–1.20× Elevated
>1.20× High-Markup
King County13hosps
1.44× Fair
Income $122k
Pierce County7hosps
1.55× Fair
Income $97k
Spokane County5hosps
1.25× Fair
Income $74k
Benton County4hosps
0.99× Fair
Income $87k
Adams County2hosps
0.73× Fair
Income $65k
Chelan County2hosps
0.81× Fair
Income $78k
Skagit County2hosps
0.85× Fair
Income $85k
Klickitat County2hosps
0.91× Fair
Income $70k
Yakima County2hosps
0.96× Fair
Income $68k
Clallam County2hosps
1.08× Fair
Income $68k
Lewis County2hosps
1.14× Fair
Income $70k
Snohomish County2hosps
1.31× Fair
Income $108k
Thurston County2hosps
1.66× Fair
Income $94k
Pend Oreille County1hosp
0.38× Fair
Income $64k
Jefferson County1hosp
0.44× Fair
Income $71k
Kittitas County1hosp
0.54× Fair
Income $70k
Lincoln County1hosp
0.90× Fair
Income $71k
Cowlitz County1hosp
1.03× Fair
Income $73k
Whatcom County1hosp
1.12× Fair
Income $81k
Whitman County1hosp
1.14× Fair
Income $53k
Walla Walla County1hosp
1.17× Fair
Income $72k
Kitsap County1hosp
1.24× Fair
Income $99k
Garfield County1hosp
1.24× Fair
Income $62k
Clark County1hosp
1.26× Fair
Income $95k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 39 total in Washington
All Hospitals in Whatcom County (1)
Select any published hospital below to inspect its procedure price list, insurer discounts, and official MRF verification links.
- St Joseph Hospital · Bellingham CMS CCN 500030 · 24/7 Emergency Services
Compare Procedure Prices Across All Washington Hospitals
View statewide surgical, imaging, colonoscopy, and ER price rankings across all Washington facilities.