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State Price Transparency Index 103 Mapped Hospitals 142 Shoppable Procedures +20% vs. U.S. Median (above the U.S. average)

Wisconsin Hospital Rates

Compare cash discount rates, commercial insurance prices, and fair price benchmarks across all 103 Wisconsin hospitals.

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
1.20×vs. U.S. Fair Price Average
Position vs. 1.00× Fair Price+20% 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.

Across 103 Wisconsin hospitals, typical commercial prices average +20% above the U.S. fair price (1.20×) after accounting for local wages.

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 · Wisconsin Market & Best ValueSummarizes statewide hospital price coverage across Wisconsin, the average commercial markup over federal Medicare rates, and the #1 best-value hospital in the state.103 Hospitals · 142 Procedures
Hospitals Priced103 in WITotal hospitals in Wisconsin with verified machine-readable price disclosures indexed in the Crystal.
Avg vs. Medicare2.0× MedicareAverage commercial insurance negotiated rate across Wisconsin hospitals compared to what federal Medicare pays for the same procedure.
Best Value in WI0.64× FairLowest confounder-adjusted hospital in Wisconsin: Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County (Darlington) at 0.64× fair market price.

Most affordable Wisconsin hospital: Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County (Darlington) at 0.64× the fair price (36% below benchmark).

Statewide Hospital Pricing Fingerprint103 Wisconsin Hospitals Analyzed

Wisconsin Statewide Hospital Pricing Summary

Across 103 reporting hospitals and 142 shoppable procedures in Wisconsin, typical commercial insurance rates sit at 1.20× the U.S. fair price average (2.0× federal Medicare rates). However, prices vary by 5.0× across the state — from 0.64× fair price at the most affordable hospitals up to 3.20× at high-markup facilities.

State Price Index: 1.20× U.S. Fair AverageAvg Commercial Rate: 2.0× Medicare
Advantage

Best Value in Wisconsin (Lowest-Priced Hospitals & Patient Edge)

  • Best-value hospital in Wisconsin: Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County (Darlington) prices care at 0.64× the fair price benchmark.
  • Additional low-cost leaders include Norwood Health Center (Marshfield, 0.72× fair) and Bellin Memorial Hospital (0.79× fair).
  • Bottom-quartile Wisconsin hospitals (Q25) charge 1.05× the fair price or less — comparing quotes before scheduling elective care saves 25%–45%.
  • Nonprofit 501(c)(3) hospitals across Wisconsin must provide free or discounted charity care under federal 26 U.S.C. § 501(r) income rules.
Watchout

Where Wisconsin Patients Get Burned (High-Markup Traps)

  • Highest-markup Wisconsin facilities reach 3.8× Medicare (Thedacare Medical Center - Berlin Inc in Berlin, Stoughton Hospital).
  • Prices for the exact same procedure swing 5.0× between the lowest-priced (0.64×) and highest-priced (3.20×) hospitals in Wisconsin.
  • Emergency room, lab, and outpatient surgery facility fees carry significantly higher markups than pre-scheduled imaging or freestanding centers.
Most Affordable WI Hospitals (Bottom 25%)Best Value Tier
0.64× – 1.05× Fair

Led by Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County (Darlington) at 0.64× fair price.

Typical Wisconsin Hospital (State Median)2.0× Medicare
1.47× Fair Price

Middle-of-the-pack commercial rate across all 103 Wisconsin hospitals.

Highest-Markup WI Hospitals (Top 25%)5.0× State Spread
2.07× – 3.20× Fair

Highest-priced quarter of Wisconsin hospitals where shopping around saves the most.

Wisconsin County Price & Affordability Heatmap 53 of 72 Counties with MRF Hospital Data

Wisconsin County-Level Hospital Price & Affordability Heatmap

Hospital price index, Medicare markup, and household affordability burden across 72 counties in Wisconsin

<0.94× Affordable 0.94–1.06× Near Avg 1.06–1.20× Elevated >1.20× High-Markup
Milwaukee County11hosps
1.39× Fair
Income $62k
Brown County5hosps
1.31× Fair
Income $77k
Dane County4hosps
1.42× Fair
Income $88k
Rock County3hosps
1.34× Fair
Income $74k
Dodge County3hosps
1.34× Fair
Income $74k
Waukesha County3hosps
1.36× Fair
Income $104k
Wood County3hosps
1.43× Fair
Income $66k
Outagamie County3hosps
1.54× Fair
Income $83k
Winnebago County3hosps
1.76× Fair
Income $73k
Marathon County3hosps
1.90× Fair
Income $76k
Grant County3hosps
1.99× Fair
Income $64k
Oneida County3hosps
2.04× Fair
Income $70k
Sauk County2hosps
1.25× Fair
Income $78k
Fond du Lac County2hosps
1.33× Fair
Income $73k
Oconto County2hosps
1.33× Fair
Income $76k
Eau Claire County2hosps
1.47× Fair
Income $72k
Columbia County2hosps
1.56× Fair
Income $83k
Washington County2hosps
1.62× Fair
Income $96k
Manitowoc County2hosps
1.77× Fair
Income $69k
Vernon County2hosps
1.77× Fair
Income $70k
Sheboygan County2hosps
1.84× Fair
Income $72k
Lincoln County2hosps
2.07× Fair
Income $68k
Racine County2hosps
2.91× Fair
Income $75k
Lafayette County1hosp
0.64× Fair
Income $72k
Showing top 24 counties with hospital price filings of 72 total in Wisconsin

All Hospitals in Wisconsin (103)

Ranked by how their commercial prices compare to the fair BaseRate — best value first. Select any hospital to inspect its full procedure price list.

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Compare Prices by Procedure in Wisconsin (142)

High-impact surgeries, scans, and hospital stays are listed first with the typical Wisconsin price. Search any procedure below.

Browse Wisconsin by Metro Area

Local hospital comparison pages for each Wisconsin regional market.

Which Insurers Negotiate Prices in Wisconsin

Across the 105 Wisconsin hospitals that publish negotiated rates, here is how many hospitals each major insurance carrier has an in-network contract with.

Blue Cross Blue Shield 103 of 105 hospitals
UnitedHealthcare 99 of 105 hospitals
Cigna 78 of 105 hospitals
Aetna 73 of 105 hospitals
Humana 63 of 105 hospitals
Kaiser Permanente 1 of 105 hospitals

Also negotiating in Wisconsin: HealthPartners (63) · Quartz (53) · Molina (49) · Security Health Plan (49) · Dean Health Plan (29) · Medica (20).

Prices are sourced from each hospital's federally-required public price file, most recently published October 2026. The BaseRate is a modeled fair-price estimate — not a bill or quote. How we build these numbers →