Prices at 8 hospitals in Montana, from their machine-readable files. Here the median cash price is $2,856 — 50% below the US median ($5,655), roughly 4.3× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Luke Community Hospital | Ronan, MT | $1,306 | $1,521 | — | 110 min | 15.1% |
| Sidney Health Center | Sidney, MT | $1,433 | $2,108 | ★ 3/5 | 152 min | 14.7% |
| St Peters Health | Helena, MT | $1,746 | $1,451 | ★ 3/5 | 178 min | 14.3% |
| Clark Fork Valley Hospital | Plains, MT | $3,966 | $4,053 | — | 153 min | 14.7% |
| Community Medical Center | Missoula, MT | $9,735 | $13,792 | ★ 3/5 | 128 min | 15.2% |
| Great Falls Clinic Hospital | Great Falls, MT | $25,156 | $8,912 | ★ 2/5 | 136 min | 15.0% |
CMS rating = overall hospital star rating (1–5); ER wait = median minutes in the emergency department; Readmit = 30-day readmission rate (lower is better) — all from Medicare’s Care Compare; “—” = not reported. Data last updated June 2026. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Prices below 15% of the median are excluded as likely partial or mis-coded charges. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.
Price comparison (median)
Typical cash price here is $2,856 — about 4.3× the Medicare rate ($658). High vs Medicare. A fair cash price is usually within ~2× Medicare ($1,316).
💡 Asking for the cash price instead of the $3,140 list price could save about $284 (9%).
Rough estimate from this procedure’s median insurer-negotiated rate. Your actual cost depends on your plan — confirm with your insurer.
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