US Health Care Costs

Back problems (no surgery) in Wisconsin

MS-DRG 552: Medical back problems without mcc

$34,146typical hospital bill
$7,617typical amount paid
$6,796–$12,463range paid across 18 hospitals

Wisconsin hospitals billed Medicare a typical $34,146 for this stay in 2024, about 4.5 times what was actually paid. Medicare's payment depends mostly on the hospital's location and teaching role; the bill depends on the hospital's own price list, so bills vary far more than payments.

Billed (list price)Actually paid (Medicare + patient)

HospitalCityMedicare staysBilledPaid
Aurora Medical Center KenoshaKenosha11$32,869$6,796
Waukesha Memorial HospitalWaukesha28$27,280$6,877
West Allis Memorial HospitalWest Allis20$35,517$6,953
Aurora Medical Center - SummitSummit28$24,321$7,159
Froedtert South Inc.Kenosha26$29,670$7,191
Community Memorial HospitalMenomonee Falls13$34,041$7,294
Ssm Health St Mary's Hospital - MadisonMadison46$41,082$7,351
Aurora Medical CenterGrafton28$33,009$7,504
Aurora Lakeland Medical CenterElkhorn12$34,251$7,525
Unitypoint Health - MeriterMadison28$29,596$7,709
Mayo Clinic Health System Eau Claire HospitalEau Claire26$28,847$7,872
Marshfield Medical CenterMarshfield18$19,164$8,617
Mercy Health System CorpJanesville24$44,915$8,619
Ascension Columbia St Marys Hospital MilwaukeeMilwaukee17$37,618$8,769
Aurora St Lukes Medical CenterMilwaukee30$42,746$8,937
Froedtert Memorial Lutheran HospitalMilwaukee50$40,140$11,205
Aspirus Wausau HospitalWausau21$48,690$11,813
University of Wi Hospitals & Clinics AuthorityMadison58$42,880$12,463

Medicare: CMS, 2024 (hospitals with 11 or more Medicare stays). Cash and insurer prices: hospitals' own price files, where read; insurer figures are commercial plans only, median and 10th–90th percentile across plans.