Dayton has some of the cheapest basic health care costs among U.S. urban areas, and local prices for some medicines and standard eye, dental and doctor’s exams fall well below the national average, according to a new report.

Some basic medical costs in the region are about 15 percent below the national average, and only nine other urban areas out of 329 tracked nationwide had lower costs, according to the 2012 Cost of Living Index, published by the Virginia-based nonprofit the Council for Community and Economic Research.

Regional differences in prices can be caused by supply versus demand, insurance rates and coverage, the size and location of the community and other living expenses and economic conditions, researchers said.

Some medical bills may be lower in Dayton because it is an affordable place to live and conduct business, and prices are held down by lower overhead costs and ample competition among providers.

“The cost of medical care is like any other service, and it is impacted by the other costs in the community,” said Dr. Walter Reiling III, a family physician and president of the Montgomery County Medical Society.

The Cost of Living Index is meant to provide a fairly reliable estimate of costs in various communities for housing, transportation, groceries, utilities, health care and miscellaneous goods.

The index relies on quarterly submissions of prices of almost 60 goods and services from volunteers in urban areas across the country. The council crunches more than 100,000 data points to determine index scores, which are then compared against the national average of 100.

In 2012, Dayton’s cost of living was 93.3 percent of the national average, according to the index.

Dayton ranked 126th out of 329 urban areas for its cost of living last year. The city had very cheap housing (25 percent below the national average) and fairly cheap groceries (6 percent below). Dayton had lower housing costs than all but 30 urban areas.

But Dayton’s overall cost of living was pushed higher by more expensive utilities (7 percent higher than the national average), transportation (3 percent higher) and miscellaneous services (1 percent higher). Overall, Dayton had a higher cost of living than Ashland, Cincinnati, Columbus and Wooster. Dayton had lower living costs than Findlay, Lima, Cleveland and Akron.

Costs for some basic medical products and health services in Dayton were the 10th lowest among the 329 urban areas in the nation.

Locally, these costs were 85.4 percent of the national average, according to the index. Norman, Okla., had the lowest costs (81.1 percent of the national average) and Birmingham, Ala., had the second lowest (82 percent).

Juneau, Alaska, had the highest health care costs — 46.5 percent above the national average. Alaskan cities accounted for four out of the five most expensive urban areas for health care.

Health care index scores are based on five basic expenses: optometrist exams, dental exams, doctor’s exams and prices for Advil and Lipitor.

In Dayton, the prices of all five measures were lower than the national average. Dental exams on average cost $73.70 in Dayton, more than $10 less than the national average.

Locally, the average charge for an established adult patient visiting their doctor was $72.72, which was the 15th cheapest in the nation, the index said.

“We are only looking at five items, but these are surrogates for larger categories,” said Dean Frutiger, project manager for the index.

Ample doctors

Dayton’s health care score benefited from local medical prices remaining consistent from quarter to quarter, Frutiger said. Many communities saw prices fluctuate wildly between quarters, which negatively impacted their scores. Insurance coverage and rates also can influence exam prices.

Factors that typically affect health care costs include the availability and access of care, the local economy and the general health of the population, said Reiling, with the Montgomery County Medical Society.

Dayton has a good supply of physicians, which means there is good competition for services, and that reduces prices. It is also an affordable place to live, and that puts less upward pressure on the salaries of physicians and medical staff, Reiling said.

“That would result in reduced costs to provide service,” he said.

But Reiling said salaries and insurer reimbursement rates in Dayton are less competitive than in some communities, which has hurt the region’s ability to attract some medical subspecialists.

Cities with high medical costs often are located in secluded parts of the country — such as Alaska — where there is limited access to care and scant competition, experts said.

“High cost areas are hard to get to areas,” said Bryan Bucklew, president and CEO of the Greater Dayton Area Hospital Association. “A benefit of the Dayton region is a low cost of living, and part of that is a low cost of health care, which is high quality.”

Dayton is centrally located, but overhead costs for medical businesses are likely much lower here than in many other parts of the country. Other urban areas with high medical costs included New York City and Boston, where real estate is very expensive and services cost more and workers earn higher salaries.

“You have to pay people more, you have to pay more for your office space and your rent and your equipment,” said David Owsiany, executive director of the Ohio Dental Association. “That has an impact on what you can charge.”

If medical prices are indeed lower in Dayton, it is likely because of lower wage and infrastructure costs, said Dr. John McAlearney, assistant professor and health economist with the Center for Global Health Systems, Management & Policy at Boonshoft School of Medicine at Wright State University.

He said the average medical costs paid out of pocket are about 11 percent, and the rest of paid by insurance. He said low costs would translate into lowering the cost of insurance.

Medical costs are not advertised, nor easily found, so it is hard for patients to shop around to get the best prices, he said.

“It is good that prices are lower overall, but it is hard for people with and without insurance to search for a better deal,” he said.