Privacy Policy

What we collect, what we do with it, and how to have your data removed.

Last updated April 11, 2026.

What we collect

HospitalCost is designed to require as little personal data as possible. The site works without any account, login, or sign-up. The only data we collect:

  1. Price feedback — when you click "Was this price accurate?" on a facility card, we store your Yes/No answer and (if you provide it) the amount you actually paid. This is anonymous unless you also submit an email address with it.
  2. Standard web analytics via Google Analytics 4 — page views, referrer, approximate location, device type. GA4 anonymizes IP addresses by default.

What we do with it

  • Price feedback is used to cross-check our published data against what real patients paid. Aggregate findings may be published; individual responses are never identified.
  • Analytics data is used to understand which pages are useful and which are not.

Cookies

We use a minimal set of cookies: a session cookie required for the site to work, and Google Analytics cookies for traffic measurement. We do not use advertising, retargeting, or third-party tracking cookies.

Your rights

You can ask us to delete any information we hold about you at any time. Email richard@hospitalcost.com with "delete my data" in the subject line. We will confirm the deletion within 5 business days.

If you are in California, the EU, or the UK, you have additional rights under CCPA, GDPR, or UK GDPR including the right to access, correct, or port your data. The same email address handles those requests.

Data retention

Price feedback is retained indefinitely in aggregate form; individual identifying information (if you provided any) is removed after 90 days unless you opt into being contacted. Analytics data is retained for 14 months per Google's default.

Children

This site is not directed at children under 13 and we do not knowingly collect information from them. If you believe a child has submitted information to us, email the address above and we will delete it.

Changes to this policy

If we change this policy materially, we will update the "last updated" date at the top and, for active subscribers, email a notice. If you have any questions about what we collect or how we use it, email us.

Contact

Richard Callaghan · richard@hospitalcost.com