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—including the website and our MyCareCost and MyCareCost Employee mobile apps (together, “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 is available through the website and our iOS and Android mobile apps, and includes business dashboards for employers, brokers, and other partners. 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. Consumer Plans: Free & Ultra Subscription

• FREE TIER: Includes core price search and comparison (subject to daily search limits). No payment required.
• ULTRA SUBSCRIPTION: A recurring monthly or yearly subscription that unlocks unlimited Total Care Cost searches, episode-of-care estimates, negotiation tools, exports, alerts, and related premium features. On the website, Ultra is processed through Stripe; in our mobile apps, Ultra may be purchased as an in-app subscription billed by the Apple App Store or Google Play (see Section 5).
• GRANDFATHERED PLANS: Customers on legacy Premium subscriptions retain access under the terms in effect when those subscriptions began.
• AUTOMATIC RENEWAL: Ultra subscriptions renew automatically at the then-current rate until cancelled. You authorize MyCareCost (via Stripe) or the applicable app store (Apple or Google) to charge your payment method on each renewal date.
• PRICE CHANGES: We may change subscription prices with at least 30 days’ written notice (via email). If you do not cancel before the new price takes effect, continued subscription constitutes acceptance.
• CANCELLATION: For Stripe-billed subscriptions, cancel anytime from Account → Billing → Manage Subscription or by emailing [email protected]. For subscriptions billed by Apple or Google, cancel through the store (iOS: Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions; Android: Play Store → Subscriptions). Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period; you retain Ultra access until then.
• REFUNDS: Refunds for Stripe-billed charges are issued at MyCareCost’s sole discretion unless required by law. Refunds for charges billed by Apple or Google are governed by, and must be requested through, the applicable store. See our Refund Policy.
• FAILED PAYMENTS: Failed charges or disputes may suspend paid features until resolved.

5. Mobile Applications & In-App Purchases

• Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to install and use our mobile apps on devices you own or control, for your personal, non-commercial use (or, for the MyCareCost Employee app, use authorized by your sponsoring organization).
• Your use of the apps is also subject to the applicable app store’s terms (Apple Media Services Terms; Google Play Terms of Service). Apple and Google are not parties to these Terms, are not responsible for the Service, and have no obligation to provide support or maintenance for the apps.
• In-app Ultra subscriptions are billed and managed entirely by Apple or Google. MyCareCost never receives your payment method details from the stores. Store-billed subscriptions are managed and cancelled through your store account, not through MyCareCost.
• You may delete your account from within the apps (Account → Settings → Delete Account), from the website, or via the instructions at /contact#delete-account. Deleting your account does not automatically cancel a store-billed subscription—cancel it through the store first.

6. Employer, Broker & Partner Accounts

• We offer business dashboards and tools for self-funded employers, brokers, and other partner organizations (“Partner Accounts”), including plan-audit tools, benchmarking, claims analytics, member-access management, and the SmartCare incentive-plan configurator. The person opening a Partner Account represents that they are authorized to bind the organization to these Terms.
• DE-IDENTIFIED DATA ONLY: If your organization imports claims, billing, or utilization data into the Service, you represent and warrant that the data has been de-identified before upload and contains no Protected Health Information (PHI) or direct identifiers (including names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth, addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, medical record numbers, or health-plan beneficiary numbers), and that you have all rights, consents, and authorizations necessary to provide the data to us. Our import pipeline screens for and rejects apparent identifiers, but screening does not relieve you of this obligation. MyCareCost does not sign Business Associate Agreements and must not be sent PHI.
• SPONSORED MEMBER ACCESS: Partner Accounts may sponsor MyCareCost access for their members by roster. Sponsors receive the limited engagement reporting described in our Privacy Policy (activation status, last-active date, and aggregate activity counts)—never the contents of a member’s searches or other consumer health data. Sponsored access ends when the sponsor revokes it or the partner subscription lapses.
• NO FIDUCIARY OR ADVISORY ROLE: MyCareCost is not a third-party administrator, plan fiduciary, broker of record, insurer, or benefits consultant. SmartCare and other configuration tools produce informational models only. Your organization is solely responsible for the design, legality, tax treatment, and administration of its benefit plans and incentive programs, including compliance with ERISA, the Internal Revenue Code, and applicable state law.
• Partner-specific order forms or agreements, where executed, control over these Terms in the event of a conflict.

7. 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.

8. 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.
• Uploading data containing PHI or direct identifiers to the Service (see Sections 6 and 11).
• Using the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law.

9. 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.

10. 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.

11. 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 as a consumer (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 from consumers of medical bills, Explanation of Benefits (EOBs), insurance cards, or any documents that could contain PHI. Employer claims imports must be de-identified before upload and are automatically screened for direct identifiers (see Section 6). For additional detail, see our Privacy Policy.

12. 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.

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. 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 10, 11, 17, 18, 19, 20, and 22) will survive termination. You may also delete your account at any time from your account settings.

16. 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.

17. 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.

18. 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).

19. 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; (d) any content or data you submit to the Service, including any claims data uploaded in violation of Section 6.

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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.

23. 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.

24. 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.

25. Contact

Questions about these Terms can be sent to [email protected]. MyCareCost is operated by My Darling Decoy Games LLC, PO Box 2, Troy, IL 62294.