2026 Comparison Guide
Best Hospital Price Transparency Tools
Hospital price transparency is federal law, but finding and comparing prices still isn't easy. Here are the tools that make it practical — and how they differ.
Key Differences Between Approaches
Hospital-published prices
CMS-mandated. Verifiable by anyone. Published by the hospital itself. This is what MyCareCost and Turquoise Health use.
Claims-based estimates
Statistical models based on insurer claims data. Useful for benchmarks but not specific to any hospital's published price.
Insurer negotiated rates (TiC)
Plan-specific negotiated rates from insurer filings. Useful for payer analytics but not for self-pay or cash-pay comparisons.
Tool Comparison
MyCareCost
Consumer + B2BRecommendedPricing
Free + $10-18/search; B2B from $99/mo
Hospitals
5,000+
Strengths
Full episode-of-care estimates, Medicare benchmarks, negotiation tools, self-serve B2B dashboards, self-pay search mode
Limitations
No insurer-specific rates, no claims data
Turquoise Health
EnterprisePricing
Custom (enterprise)
Hospitals
5,000+
Strengths
Insurer negotiated rates (TiC data), payer analytics, compliance tools for payers and providers
Limitations
Enterprise-only pricing, no self-serve consumer tools, requires sales engagement
CMS Hospital Price Transparency Files
Raw dataPricing
Free
Hospitals
All CMS-tracked
Strengths
Direct from hospitals, legally mandated, comprehensive where available
Limitations
Not consumer-readable, inconsistent formats, no comparison tools, no quality data
Healthcare Bluebook
ConsumerPricing
Free (employer-sponsored)
Hospitals
Varies
Strengths
Fair price estimates, employer benefit integration, quality ratings
Limitations
Based on claims data estimates (not hospital-published prices), limited without employer sponsorship
FAIR Health Consumer
ConsumerPricing
Free
Hospitals
N/A (cost estimates)
Strengths
Regional cost benchmarks based on claims, dental and mental health coverage
Limitations
Estimates only (not actual hospital prices), no provider-specific comparison, no negotiation tools
Our Recommendation
For consumers comparing hospital prices, employers analyzing savings opportunities, brokers generating client reports, or health shares equipping members — MyCareCost provides the most accessible, self-serve platform with the deepest consumer-facing feature set. For enterprise payer analytics and insurer rate intelligence, Turquoise Health is the market leader.