US Health Care Costs

Breathing problem needing a ventilator (up to 4 days) in Georgia

MS-DRG 208: Respiratory system diagnosis with ventilator support <=96 hours

$119,314typical hospital bill
$24,305typical amount paid
$17,997–$39,913range paid across 29 hospitals

Georgia hospitals billed Medicare a typical $119,314 for this stay in 2024, about 4.9 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
St Francis Hospital- Emory HealthcareColumbus25$73,028$17,997
Emory Houston Hospital Warner RobinsWarner Robins16$61,106$18,269
Doctors HospitalAugusta18$220,112$18,613
Emory Decatur HospitalDecatur12$99,562$19,139
Coliseum Medical Centers, Llc, DbaMacon15$143,784$20,459
Piedmont Columbus Regional MidtownColumbus20$77,410$20,924
AdventHealth RedmondRome17$152,432$21,097
Savannah Health Services LLC Dba Memorial Health University Medical CenterSavannah63$119,314$21,934
Northside Hospital ForsythCumming15$181,546$21,965
Piedmont Augusta HospitalAugusta13$113,463$22,537
Atrium Health Floyd Medical CenterRome13$87,982$22,539
Sgmc HealthValdosta14$93,740$22,844
Northside Hospital GwinnettLawrenceville16$125,944$23,170
Piedmont Athens Regional Medical CenterAthens19$102,473$24,043
Atrium Health Navicent the Medical CenterMacon24$117,325$24,305
Southeast Georgia Health System- Brunswick CampusBrunswick17$53,056$24,640
Southern Regional Medical CenterRiverdale14$82,715$24,891
Phoebe Putney Memorial HospitalAlbany22$85,043$24,956
Tanner Medical Center - CarrolltonCarrollton13$134,977$26,085
Northside Hospital CherokeeCanton18$113,139$26,488
Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical CenterMarietta31$187,001$26,499
Saint Joseph's Hospital of Atlanta, IncAtlanta13$145,339$26,571
Northeast Georgia Medical Center, IncGainesville52$128,488$28,021
Hamilton Medical CenterDalton11$155,587$28,624
Northside HospitalAtlanta11$166,132$29,625
Emory University HospitalAtlanta14$113,484$33,093
Emory University Hospital MidtownAtlanta15$156,738$38,127
Grady Memorial HospitalAtlanta16$197,710$39,048
Wellstar Mcg Health, Affiliated with Med ColAugusta20$150,629$39,913

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.