US Health Care Costs

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

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

$107,550typical hospital bill
$21,786typical amount paid
$16,781–$41,732range paid across 25 hospitals

Virginia hospitals billed Medicare a typical $107,550 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
Sentara Princess Anne HospitalVirginia Beach12$87,730$16,781
Chesapeake General HospitalChesapeake12$60,961$18,243
Henrico Doctors' HospitalRichmond45$220,998$19,466
Riverside Regional Medical CenterNewport News25$60,660$19,986
Sentara Careplex HospitalHampton12$116,032$20,262
Sovah Health DanvilleDanville15$110,335$20,490
Sentara Virginia Beach General HospitalVirginia Beach17$137,417$20,706
Sentara Leigh HospitalNorfolk17$107,594$21,192
Cjw Medical CenterRichmond45$266,224$21,228
Bon Secours Memorial Regional Medical CenterMechanicsville20$82,358$21,466
Mary Washington HospitalFredericksburg20$61,387$21,476
Reston Hospital CenterReston15$137,127$21,651
Bon Secours Maryview Medical CenterPortsmouth13$99,254$21,786
Winchester Medical CenterWinchester54$51,638$22,113
Lewisgale Medical CenterSalem25$140,608$22,590
Bon Secours St Marys HospitalRichmond16$117,855$22,775
Johnston Memorial HospitalAbingdon13$100,151$22,846
Sentara Rmh Medical CenterHarrisonburg13$64,024$22,954
Inova Alexandria HospitalAlexandria17$82,160$23,851
Sentara Norfolk General HospitalNorfolk27$107,550$23,882
Carilion Medical CenterRoanoke47$98,417$24,798
Centra Health - Lynchburg Gen HospitalLynchburg30$118,326$25,805
Inova Fairfax HospitalFalls Church34$94,731$27,670
Medical College of Virginia HospitalsRichmond25$143,487$33,718
University of Virginia Medical CenterCharlottesville26$154,844$41,732

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.