Hospital & Medical Cost in Utah (2026)

Hospital costs in Utah typically run $1,500–$3,500 for an uninsured moderate-acuity Level-3 ER visit, with ACA Medicaid recently expanded. Utah's combination of Proposition 3 voter-initiated Medicaid expansion (2018 vote, January 2020 full effective after Utah legislature modifications + federal CMS rejection of partial waiver), Intermountain Health regional-system dominance with 33 hospitals along the Wasatch Front (Salt Lake City + Provo + Ogden), no CON program (one of 15 non-CON states), $450K malpractice non-economic damages cap under § 78B-3-410, $39.94/hr BLS RN mean, University of Utah Health academic medical center, and HCA MountainStar Healthcare regional for-profit competition.

State Utah
Cities Covered 0
Typical uninsured moderate-acuity Level-3 ER visit $1,500 – $3,500
BLS Registered Nurse wage $39.94/hr

Utah payer mix, regulation & malpractice drivers

  • Surprise billing protection: Moderate state statute — partial state-level surprise billing protection alongside federal NSA
  • Certificate of Need (CON) status: No Certificate of Need program
  • Medicaid expansion status: ACA Medicaid recently expanded (2020-2024 voter or legislative initiative)
  • Malpractice non-economic damages cap: Hard statutory non-economic damages cap — $450K non-economic cap under Utah Code § 78B-3-410 (adjusted annually for inflation)
  • Hospital price transparency mandate: Federal CMS Hospital Price Transparency Rule (45 CFR Part 180) only — no state-level supplement
  • Dominant health insurance market structure: Regional-system dominant — vertically-integrated regional health system shapes market

Utah medical board & physician licensing

  • License status: Statewide license required
  • License board: Utah Physicians Licensing Board — Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) (official site)
  • Permit: Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing Physicians Licensing Board MD/DO license required; DEA Schedule II-V + Utah Controlled Substance Database (CSD); hospital privileging at Intermountain Health / University of Utah Health / HCA MountainStar Healthcare / IASIS Healthcare; NO Certificate of Need program (Utah does not have a CON law); UT voter-approved Proposition 3 Medicaid expansion 2018 (modified by legislature)

How medical care costs vary in Utah

State-specific code or insurance rule: Utah voters approved ACA Medicaid expansion via Proposition 3 in November 2018 with implementation phased starting April 2019 and full expansion January 2020 (delayed by Utah legislative modifications under SB 96 that initially capped expansion at 100% FPL until federal CMS rejected the partial waiver and full expansion took effect) — and Intermountain Health (formerly Intermountain Healthcare) operates as the dominant integrated nonprofit health system in Utah with 33 hospitals and 5,000+ providers serving the Wasatch Front Salt Lake City + Provo + Ogden corridor where 80%+ of Utah's population lives, plus Utah does not have a Certificate of Need program (one of the 15 non-CON states).

Cities in Utah

Compare medical care pricing for Utah.

No medical care city guides published in this state yet. We're adding coverage state-by-state — check back, or use our free estimate tool to price your project right now.

Got a quote? Check if it's fair.

Upload your estimate for an instant price and scope review tuned to Utah labor and material rates.

Analyze your quote

More state guides