What should a hospital stay cost?

Q: Where do these numbers come from?

From the CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospitals datasets — the amounts hospitals submitted versus the amounts actually paid, by diagnosis-related group. They are national averages for Medicare patients, not a quote for your specific bill, but they are a documented, citable benchmark.

Q: How do I use this against my bill?

If your self-pay bill is near the "billed" figure, you are being asked for a price almost nobody actually pays. Citing the amount actually paid — "federal data shows an average payment of $X for this stay" — is a concrete, verifiable basis for a written request for a reduction.

The short answer

Hospitals keep a "list price" almost nobody pays. Look up your procedure to see what hospitals billed Medicare versus what was actually paid — and use that gap as the anchor for a written request to reduce your bill.

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Frequently asked questions

Where do these numbers come from?

From the CMS Medicare Inpatient Hospitals datasets — amounts submitted versus amounts actually paid, by diagnosis-related group. National averages for Medicare patients, not a quote for your bill, but a documented benchmark.

How do I use this against my bill?

If your self-pay bill is near the billed figure, you are being asked for a price almost nobody pays. Citing the amount actually paid is a concrete basis for a written reduction request.