Prices at 7 hospitals in Montana, from their machine-readable files.
Cash / self-pay (median)
$41
Chargemaster (median)
$58
Insurer-negotiated (median)
$38
Medicare pays
$17
$35$62
Median cash $41 · Medicare $17 · bar = typical cash range (10th–90th percentile)
Typical cash range: $35 – $62. The median cash price is about 2.5× the Medicare rate.
Lowest cash prices
| Hospital | Location | Cash | Insurer | CMS rating | ER wait | Readmit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sidney Health Center | Sidney, MT | $33 | $53 | ★ 3/5 | 152 min | 14.7% |
| St Peters Health | Helena, MT | $38 | $38 | ★ 3/5 | 178 min | 14.3% |
| Big Sandy Medical Center | Big Sandy, MT | $41 | $50 | — | 72 min | — |
| Billings Clinic | Billings, MT | $62 | — | ★ 4/5 | 172 min | 14.2% |
| Billings Clinic Broadwater | Townsend, MT | $62 | — | — | 81 min | — |
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. Prices from hospitals’ machine-readable files (45 CFR §180); Medicare benchmark from CMS PFS/CLFS/IPPS. Estimates — confirm with the hospital. Report an incorrect price.