# Compare carrier networks on negotiated rates

> Show clients what each carrier's network pays for the services they use most, side by side, from published negotiated rates. Coming soon for brokers.

For benefits brokers & consultants. HTML version: https://ushealth.io/for/brokers

Discounts off billed charges are easy to quote and hard to compare. Negotiated rates show the dollar price each carrier pays each provider. US Health.io puts them side by side for the services each client uses most, so your recommendation rests on prices rather than percentages.

## No carrier is cheapest for everything

Illustrative example: three carriers' median negotiated rates in one market for six common services, as a percentage of the market median (100). Carrier B is lowest for a knee MRI (76) but highest for a colonoscopy (115); weighted by this client's mix, Carrier B comes out about 9% below Carrier A. (Illustrative example, not real prices.)

## A bigger discount isn't always a lower price

A 55% discount off a $4,000 charge costs $1,800. A 40% discount off a $2,000 charge costs $1,200. The network with the smaller discount is cheaper, and a discount comparison would never show it.

Published negotiated rates replace that guesswork with the actual dollar amounts each carrier pays each provider. The catch is the files: billions of rows across insurers, with duplicates and placeholder rates to clear out before any two numbers can be compared. That's the work we do.

## Why comparing prices matters

- **Up to 40×**: difference in price for the same service within a single metro area ([Health Care Cost Institute, Past the Healthy Marketplace Index](https://healthcostinstitute.org/hcci-research/past-the-healthy-marketplace-index-exploring-actual-prices-paid-for-specific-services-by-metro-area))
- **$562 – $9,691**: negotiated rate for an outpatient colonoscopy in the Chicago area, depending on where it was done ([Trilliant Health, 2025 price transparency report](https://www.trillianthealth.com/market-research/reports/2025-price-transparency))
- **67.5% lower**: median colonoscopy price at an ambulatory surgery center than at a hospital outpatient department ([Trilliant Health, 2025 price transparency report](https://www.trillianthealth.com/market-research/reports/2025-price-transparency))
- **Since July 2022**: health insurers and plans have had to publish the rates they negotiate with providers ([CMS, Transparency in Coverage final rule fact sheet](https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/transparency-coverage-final-rule-fact-sheet-cms-9915-f))

## What price data does for your clients

- **Side-by-side carrier comparisons**: The median and range of negotiated rates for each service, by carrier, in each client's markets.
- **Weighted to the client**: Weight comparisons by a client's own service mix, so "cheaper" means cheaper for the care their members actually use.
- **Stronger renewals and RFPs**: Back network recommendations and negotiations with evidence a CFO can follow.
- **Find the cost drivers**: Spot the high-priced providers and sites of care that drive spend, and where a steerage or narrow-network strategy would pay off.

## Questions you'll be able to answer for clients

- Which carrier's network pays least for this client's top 20 services?
- Where does each carrier pay far above the market?
- Is the "cheaper" network cheaper for the services this client actually uses?
- Which providers would a narrow network or steerage program need to include?

## What's coming

- **Web portal** (For employers, brokers and providers, coming soon): Compare negotiated rates by procedure, provider, insurer and market, and export what you find.
- **Reports** (Benchmarks and custom analysis, coming soon): Ready-made benchmark reports for your market and plans, or an analysis built around your question.

## How it will work

1. **Pick the markets and carriers**: The networks you're comparing for a client, in the places their members live.
2. **Weight by what the client uses**: Their most-used services, so comparisons reflect real utilisation.
3. **Present the comparison**: Explore in the portal or get a benchmark report to bring to the client.

## Questions

### How is this different from a disruption or discount analysis?

Those compare networks by provider overlap and percentage discounts. Negotiated rates show the price each carrier pays each provider for each service, so you can compare the cost of the same care across networks directly.

### Does it replace claims data?

No, it complements it. Claims show what members used; negotiated rates show what each network would pay for that care, at every provider, including the ones members haven't used yet.

### Can I use it across many clients?

The portal is being designed for advisors who work across many employer clients and markets. Tell us how you work when you join early access.

### When can I use it?

The portal and reports are coming soon. Join the early-access list and we'll be in touch.

## Join early access for advisors

Tell us about your book of business, and we'll invite you as carrier comparisons come online. [Request early access](mailto:hello@ushealth.io?subject=Early%20access%3A%20broker%20network%20comparisons) (email to hello@ushealth.io; no pricing yet).

## Related

- [Price transparency data for employers](https://ushealth.io/for/employers.md)
- [Payer rate benchmarking for providers](https://ushealth.io/for/providers.md)
- [What machine-readable files are](https://ushealth.io/what-are-mrf-files)
- Glossary: [Negotiated rate](https://ushealth.io/glossary/negotiated-rate)
- Glossary: [Fee schedule](https://ushealth.io/glossary/fee-schedule)
- Glossary: [Billing code](https://ushealth.io/glossary/billing-code)
- Glossary: [In-network rate file](https://ushealth.io/glossary/in-network-rate-file)