Hi MidwestGirl,
Some of the better options in your area are listed in post #2 here (which includes NFM).
The previous Simmons Natural Care Elite line (that may still be available in a few places) were very nice and in some cases had good value (depending on the outlet’s pricing) and were almost all talalay latex (except for a 2" layer of firmer polyfoam on the bottom). The new Natural Care lineup is a polyfoam/latex blend which is more economical (has a polyfoam core) but are also one of the “better efforts” by a mainstream manufacturer.
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You can see the partial specs of the lineup here. “Comfort response technology” and “Independent response technology” is their new name for latex it seems. The quilting of the two upper models would be quiltable Dunlop latex (the lower end model uses polyfoam in the quilting) but they don’t say what type of latex they use in the comfort layers (except that it’s either a 65% or a 20% natural/synthetic blend). The independent response technology with “pillows” would likely be similar to this or to this except these examples are higher quality 100% natural Dunlop latex. I have a few people who are trying to track down the type of latex (they didn’t know when I asked and need to ask their rep) but no confirmation at this point (although based on the 65% and 20% natural content a good guess would be blended Dunlop). It would be better value than many mainstream brand mattresses although not in the same value range as smaller local manufacturers who use latex in their mattresses (and probably higher quality latex as well).
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Most of the major brands do use American foam manufacturers in their mattresses which are CertiPur certified although Simmons does a better job of telling people about this. CertiPur foam has been tested for harmful ingredients and offgassing (to certain testing standards) but it doesn’t say anything about the density/quality of the foams they use. To know this you need density information with either memory foam or polyfoam which are more difficult “specs” to find out (although Simmons is also a little better at this as well).
If financing is a major part of your “value equation” then NFM may be a reasonable option and they at least do carry several alternative brands (such as Omaha bedding and Southerland) that may be better value. You may also want to check and see if Omaha bedding has come out with their latex line. The difficulty in dealing with many retail outlets though is finding out the layer information that makes meaningful value comparisons possible. sometimes it can be like “pulling teeth” as they try to tell you either that it’s a “secret” or “proprietary” or that you don’t need this kind of information at all and you should just lay down on the mattress and see how you feel.
Phoenix