Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

MyCareCost is a product of My Darling Decoy Games LLC, an Illinois limited liability company (“we,” “our,” or “us”). By accessing or using MyCareCost (“the Service”) you agree to these Terms of Service and all applicable laws and regulations. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must immediately discontinue use of the Service.

2. Service Description

MyCareCost aggregates publicly available hospital price transparency files and CMS quality data to help patients, employers, and advocates compare medical procedure costs across hospitals. The Service does not provide medical, legal, insurance, or financial advice. All information is for general informational purposes only. MyCareCost is not a healthcare provider, health plan, or healthcare clearinghouse and is not subject to HIPAA.

3. Eligibility and Account Use

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account or use the Service. When you create an account you are responsible for providing accurate information, maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials, and all activity that occurs under your account. You must notify us immediately at [email protected] if you suspect unauthorized access.

4. Subscriptions, Billing & Cancellation (Legacy Plans)

• MyCareCost previously offered recurring subscription tiers (Premium and Ultra). As of March 2026, new subscriptions are no longer available. Existing subscribers retain full access to their plan features through the remainder of their billing period.
• AUTOMATIC RENEWAL NOTICE: Existing subscriptions will continue to renew at the then-current rate until cancelled. You authorize MyCareCost (via Stripe) to charge your payment method on file on each renewal date.
• PRICE CHANGE NOTICE: Prices may change with at least 30 days’ written notice (via email to your account email address). If you do not cancel before the new price takes effect, your continued subscription constitutes acceptance of the new rate.
• CANCELLATION: You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings page (Account → Billing → Manage Subscription) or by contacting [email protected]. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period—you retain access to paid features until then. No penalty is charged for cancellation.
• REFUNDS: Refunds for legacy subscriptions are issued at MyCareCost’s sole discretion. We do not provide prorated refunds for partial billing periods unless required by applicable law.
• FAILED PAYMENTS: If a charge fails or a payment dispute is filed, we may suspend access to paid features until the matter is resolved.

4A. Pay-Per-Use (PPU) Purchases

• OVERVIEW: MyCareCost offers Total Care Cost searches on a Pay-Per-Use (PPU) basis. PPU purchases are one-time payments processed through Stripe Checkout. No subscription or recurring billing is created.
• SEARCH CREDITS: When you purchase a PPU pack (single search, 3-pack, 5-pack, or custom quantity of 6+), the corresponding number of Total Care Cost searches is credited to your account balance. Credits are available immediately after successful payment and do not expire.
• TIERS: PPU searches are available at two levels—Premium (cost breakdown only) and Ultra (cost breakdown plus negotiation tools, call scripts, bill review guidance, and HSA/FSA optimization tips). Each tier maintains a separate balance.
• BONUS CREDITS: For purchases of 5 or more searches, you receive 1 bonus search for every 5 purchased (buy 5 get 1 free). Bonus credits are non-refundable.
• CREDIT DEDUCTION: One (1) credit is deducted from your balance each time you initiate a Total Care Cost search. Credits are non-transferable between users and between tiers (Premium credits cannot be used for Ultra searches, and vice versa).
• CONFIRMATION: After a successful PPU purchase, you will receive an email confirmation detailing the number of searches purchased, any bonus credits, your new balance, and links to your account dashboard.
• PPU REFUND POLICY: Unused PPU credits may be refunded within 30 days of purchase by contacting [email protected]. Credits that have been used (i.e., a Total Care Cost search has been performed) are non-refundable. Bonus credits are non-refundable. Refunds are issued to the original payment method and processed within 5–10 business days. See our Refund Policy for full details.
• NO GUARANTEE OF RESULTS: A Total Care Cost search produces an estimate based on publicly available hospital pricing data. The estimate is for informational purposes only and may not reflect actual charges billed by any provider. Using a credit does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or clinical relevance of the resulting estimate.
• ACCOUNT SHARING: PPU credits are for the sole use of the account holder. Sharing account credentials to allow others to use your purchased credits is prohibited and may result in account suspension.

5. Use of Data and Permitted Purposes

You may use information from the Service for personal, internal business, advocacy, research, or compliance purposes. You may not sell, sublicense, redistribute, or otherwise commercialize data obtained from the Service without prior written consent from MyCareCost.

6. Prohibited Conduct

• Scraping, crawling, harvesting, or systematically downloading data from the Service using bots, scripts, spiders, or other automated means.
• Reverse engineering, decompiling, or disassembling any part of the Service.
• Using the Service to build a competing product or dataset.
• Attempting to circumvent rate limits, access controls, anti-scraping measures, or any other security mechanism.
• Interfering with or disrupting the Service or its infrastructure, including denial-of-service attacks.
• Impersonating another user, misrepresenting your identity, or creating multiple accounts to evade restrictions.
• Using the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law.

7. Submitted Content

When you submit corrections, partner requests, reviews, or other materials you represent that you have the right to share the content and grant MyCareCost a perpetual, non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, display, modify, and distribute the submission in connection with operating and improving the Service.

8. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its design, layout, aggregated data presentation, analytics, branding, logos, and software, is the property of My Darling Decoy Games LLC (operating as MyCareCost) and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. The underlying hospital pricing data is sourced from publicly available files published pursuant to federal regulations. Nothing in these Terms grants you any right, title, or interest in the Service beyond the limited right to use it in accordance with these Terms.

9. HIPAA Disclaimer

MyCareCost is not a “covered entity” or “business associate” as defined by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) and its implementing regulations. We do not collect, store, or transmit Protected Health Information (PHI). The pricing data displayed on the Service is aggregated from publicly available hospital price transparency files. Any information you enter into the Service (such as procedure searches, cart items, price alerts, or bill amounts for comparison) is consumer-generated pricing research created by you—it is not a medical record, treatment plan, or insurance claim. We do not accept uploads of medical bills, Explanation of Benefits (EOBs), insurance cards, or any documents that could contain PHI. For additional detail, see our Privacy Policy.

10. Compliance & Quality Data Insights

Compliance scores, CMS quality star ratings, “Best Value” badges, and related analytics are informational and based on publicly accessible data from hospital transparency files and the CMS Hospital Compare program. They are not official CMS determinations, endorsements, or medical recommendations. Quality ratings reflect historical data and may not represent current hospital conditions. Always verify findings with primary sources and your healthcare provider before making care decisions.

11. Third-Party Links

The Service may include links to third-party websites, including hospital websites, map providers, and scheduling services. MyCareCost is not responsible for the content, accuracy, policies, or practices of those sites and does not guarantee pricing, availability, or outcomes presented by third parties.

12. Affiliate & Referral Disclosure

Some outbound links may be referral links or otherwise tracked so MyCareCost can measure engagement and potentially earn revenue. These links may direct you to third-party websites (for example, provider websites, scheduling, directions, or phone). MyCareCost does not control third-party services and does not endorse or guarantee their offerings.

13. Account Suspension & Termination

MyCareCost reserves the right to suspend or terminate your account, with or without notice, for conduct that we determine violates these Terms, is harmful to other users, or is otherwise objectionable. Upon termination: (a) your right to use the Service ceases immediately; (b) any outstanding subscription fees remain due; (c) provisions that by their nature should survive (including Sections 8, 9, 15, 16, 17, 18, and 20) will survive termination. You may also delete your account at any time from your account settings.

14. Data Accuracy Disclaimer

Hospital pricing data, CMS quality ratings, and compliance information may be incomplete, outdated, or incorrectly published by the original source. MyCareCost makes reasonable efforts to present accurate data but does not guarantee its completeness, currency, or correctness. Always verify pricing and coverage directly with the provider and your insurance company before making healthcare or financial decisions.

15. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. MYCARECOST DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE. MYCARECOST IS NOT A HEALTHCARE PROVIDER AND DOES NOT PROVIDE MEDICAL ADVICE.

16. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, MYCARECOST, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRACTORS, AND AFFILIATES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MYCARECOST’S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO MYCARECOST IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).

17. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless MyCareCost, its officers, directors, employees, contractors, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any third-party right; or (d) any content you submit to the Service.

18. Dispute Resolution

Before filing any formal proceeding, you agree to contact MyCareCost at [email protected] and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days. If the dispute is not resolved informally, you agree that any legal action or proceeding shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Madison County, Illinois, or the Southern District of Illinois, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

19. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Illinois, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles.

20. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the remaining Terms remain in full force and effect.

21. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other policies referenced herein, constitute the entire agreement between you and MyCareCost regarding the Service and supersede any prior agreements.

22. Changes to the Terms

We may update these Terms periodically. The “Last updated” date reflects the latest revision. For material changes, we will notify registered users via email or an in-app notice at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

23. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to [email protected]. MyCareCost is operated by My Darling Decoy Games LLC, 307 Wickliffe St, Troy, IL 62294.