Breast punct aspir cyst, bil at Northwestern Medicine McHenry Hospital

4201 Medical Center Drive, McHenry, IL · Nm · · NPI 1427065499

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$968.10

Cash price

?

Discounted cash price

What a hospital charges a self-pay patient who pays directly, without going through insurance — usually well below the gross charge.

Example: A CT scan has a $3,200 gross charge but an $850 discounted cash price. Ask for it by name when scheduling — hospitals don't always advertise it up front.

Full explanation →

What you pay up front if you don't use insurance.

$1,383.00

Gross charge

?

Gross charge (chargemaster price)

The hospital's full, undiscounted list price — pulled from its internal "chargemaster" price list. Almost no one actually pays this.

Example: A chest X-ray has a gross charge of $1,450. The same hospital's discounted cash price for the same X-ray is $180 — the gross charge mostly anchors negotiations, not what patients pay.

Full explanation →

The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$266.92 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $1,383.00 with BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
?

Negotiated rate

The price a specific insurance plan agreed to pay the hospital for a service — it varies by insurer, and even by plan within the same insurer.

Example: The same knee MRI has a negotiated rate of $904 with one insurer's PPO plan and $1,509 with another's — identical hospital, identical scan.

Full explanation →

Payer
?

Payer

The insurance company footing the bill — Aetna, UnitedHealthcare, Medicare, and so on.

Example: "Blue Cross Blue Shield" is the payer. Its negotiated rate for an MRI might be $904, while a different payer's negotiated rate for the same scan is $1,509.

Full explanation →
Plan
?

Plan

The specific product an insurer sells — e.g. "Blue Cross PPO 500" — which sets your deductible, coinsurance and negotiated rates.

Example: Two people both insured by Aetna can owe very different amounts for the same MRI: $50 with an HMO plan's flat copay, or the full $1,200 toward a high-deductible PPO plan's unmet deductible.

Full explanation →
Negotiated rate vs. cash
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA NM EMPLOYEES $266.92 ↓ -72%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $272.45 ↓ -72%
MERCY CARE HEALTH PLANS [5013] NWR MERCY CARE $419.74 ↓ -57%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA BROAD $427.35 ↓ -56%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS PPO $468.84 ↓ -52%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NWR BCBS PPO $468.84 ↓ -52%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA APCN/SP $475.75 ↓ -51%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA IL PREFERRED $490.97 ↓ -49%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NWR BCBS HMO $493.45 ↓ -49%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS HMO $493.45 ↓ -49%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $661.07 ↓ -32%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $661.07 ↓ -32%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $661.07 ↓ -32%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA $673.52 ↓ -30%
HEALTHLINK [125] NWR SEIU HEALTHLINK $691.50 ↓ -29%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA ASA $726.08 ↓ -25%
CHOICECARE [177] NWR CHOICE CARE $735.76 ↓ -24%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NWR PHCS PPO $760.65 ↓ -21%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NWR THE ALLIANCE $888.30 ↓ -8%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NWR HFN PLATINUM EPO $968.10 ↑ +0%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NWR HFN PPO $1,009.59 ↑ +4%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA BEHAVORIAL BHS $1,037.25 ↑ +7%
BEECHSTREET [176] NWR BEECHSTREET $1,106.40 ↑ +14%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NWR NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $1,383.00 ↑ +43%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $1,383.00 ↑ +43%
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] NWR MEDICARE not published by hospital
ALTERNATE HUMANA MEDICARE ADV [2409] NWR HUMANA MEDICARE ADVT not published by hospital
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADV [2304] NWR BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADVT not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Breast punct aspir cyst, bil at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $825.60 $279.36 – $2,573.12
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $825.60 $412.65 – $430.99
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $281.25 $430.00 – $1,229.33
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $555.00 $437.34 – $6,071.00
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $1,248.10 not published
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $840.00 $661.92 – $4,681.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $905.00 $713.14 – $6,071.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $672.51 $38.10 – $547.36

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →