US Health Care Costs

Heart attack, with major complications in Colorado

MS-DRG 280: Acute myocardial infarction, discharged alive with mcc

$83,554typical hospital bill
$13,674typical amount paid
$10,708–$22,804range paid across 24 hospitals

Colorado hospitals billed Medicare a typical $83,554 for this stay in 2024, about 6.1 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
Uchealth Highlands Ranch HospitalHighlands Ranch18$71,958$10,708
Centura Health-St Anthony HospitalLakewood35$82,646$11,262
Medical Center of the RockiesLoveland23$55,903$11,573
Poudre Valley HospitalFort Collins23$60,021$11,679
Intermountain Health Lutheran HospitalWheat Ridge14$94,305$11,805
Centura Health-Penrose St Francis Health ServicesColorado Springs49$81,986$12,169
AdventHealth ParkerParker12$77,091$12,180
Uch-Memorial Health SystemColorado Springs42$69,577$12,299
Parkview Medical Center, IncPueblo15$84,462$12,694
Longmont United HospitalLongmont12$50,353$13,051
The Medical Center of Aurora & South HospitalAurora49$124,544$13,421
HCA Healthone Mountain RidgeThornton21$173,376$13,587
Intermountain Health St. Mary's Regional HospitalGrand Junction27$56,766$13,760
AdventHealth LittletonLittleton22$100,327$13,816
AdventHealth PorterDenver11$89,952$13,952
HCA-Healthone Dba Swedish Medical CenterEnglewood16$188,003$13,979
AdventHealth Castle RockCastle Rock12$96,198$14,320
Sky Ridge Medical CenterLone Tree14$189,629$14,357
Mercy Regional Medical CenterDurango23$62,647$15,465
Saint Joseph HospitalDenver16$103,574$15,685
Valley View Hospital AssociationGlenwood Springs11$76,682$16,502
University of Colorado Hospital AuthorityAurora33$103,023$16,584
Centura Health-St Anthony North Health CampusWestminster15$108,839$16,855
Denver Health & Hospital AuthorityDenver12$63,575$22,804

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.