US Health Care Costs

Heart attack, with major complications in North Carolina

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

$46,926typical hospital bill
$12,647typical amount paid
$9,742–$23,477range paid across 50 hospitals

North Carolina hospitals billed Medicare a typical $46,926 for this stay in 2024, about 3.7 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
Caldwell Memorial HospitalLenoir12$29,513$9,742
Pardee Hospital Henderson CountyHendersonville14$36,050$10,049
Wakemed, Cary HospitalCary25$47,192$10,252
Stanly Regional Medical CenterAlbemarle16$37,597$10,465
AdventHealth HendersonvilleHendersonville11$34,247$10,570
Frye Regional Medical CenterHickory25$85,216$10,666
Haywood Regional Medical CenterClyde15$40,122$10,936
Duke Health Lake Norman HospitalMooresville22$61,743$11,091
Novant Health Matthews Medical CenterMatthews21$58,350$11,138
Novant Health Huntersville Medical CenterHuntersville22$46,660$11,155
Novant Health Rowan Medical CenterSalisbury25$53,802$11,373
Unc Lenoir Health CareKinston41$19,956$11,515
Atrium Health PinevilleCharlotte31$72,022$11,523
Catawba Valley Medical CenterHickory11$45,082$11,537
Iredell Memorial Hospital IncStatesville12$56,874$11,541
Rex HospitalRaleigh78$54,079$11,569
Ecu Health North HospitalRoanoke Rapids17$30,444$11,737
Firsthealth Moore Regional HospitalPinehurst29$54,278$11,846
Johnston HealthSmithfield22$44,245$12,100
Maria Parham Medical CenterHenderson13$52,340$12,131
Novant Health Presbyterian Medical CenterCharlotte20$63,568$12,172
Blue Ridge Healthcare Hospitals, IncMorganton16$45,752$12,427
Scotland Memorial HospitalLaurinburg13$49,903$12,513
Wilson Medical CenterWilson18$64,674$12,627
Alamance Regional Medical CenterBurlington23$47,759$12,634
Memorial Mission Hospital and Asheville Surgery CeAsheville266$53,211$12,660
Novant Health Forsyth Medical CenterWinston-Salem63$49,132$12,828
Duke Regional HospitalDurham27$36,554$12,828
Randolph HospitalAsheboro14$79,496$12,918
Atrium Health UnionMonroe45$67,311$12,943
Carolinas Medical Center-NortheastConcord54$58,821$13,041
Unc Health NashRocky Mount18$39,315$13,069
Carolina East Medical CenterNew Bern28$41,424$13,365
Unc Health Care WayneGoldsboro40$32,800$13,394
Sentara Albemarle Medical CenterElizabeth City75$35,159$13,464
Cape Fear Valley Medical CenterFayetteville68$39,025$13,478
Carteret General HospitalMorehead City24$22,937$13,570
Novant Health New Hanover Regional Medical CenterWilmington56$44,457$13,667
Wakemed, Raleigh CampusRaleigh29$45,405$13,813
High Point Regional Health SystemHigh Point48$46,467$14,198
The Moses H. Cone Memorial HospitalGreensboro54$41,557$14,686
Watauga Medical CenterBoone12$37,695$14,839
Betsy Johnson Regional HospitalDunn17$51,958$15,854
Ecu Health Medical CenterGreenville102$51,930$15,918
Southeastern Regional Medical CenterLumberton29$31,969$17,164
Carolinas Medical Center/Behav HealthCharlotte25$69,904$17,335
Caromont Regional Medical CenterGastonia15$70,340$18,560
Duke University HospitalDurham37$56,660$20,928
Unc HospitalsChapel Hill30$46,018$21,861
North Carolina Baptist HospitalWinston-Salem84$57,593$23,477

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.