ER Visit (level 4) 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

$4,245.85

Cash price

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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.

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

$6,065.50

Gross charge

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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.

$696.15 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $3,607.00 with MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] — same scan, same building. Share

Negotiated rates by payer
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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
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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
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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 $696.15 ↓ -84%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $710.58 ↓ -83%
MERCY CARE HEALTH PLANS [5013] NWR MERCY CARE $1,094.72 ↓ -74%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA BROAD $1,114.56 ↓ -74%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS PPO $1,222.77 ↓ -71%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NWR BCBS PPO $1,222.77 ↓ -71%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA APCN/SP $1,240.81 ↓ -71%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA IL PREFERRED $1,280.49 ↓ -70%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS HMO $1,286.98 ↓ -70%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NWR BCBS HMO $1,286.98 ↓ -70%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $1,724.15 ↓ -59%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $1,724.15 ↓ -59%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $1,724.15 ↓ -59%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA $1,756.61 ↓ -59%
HEALTHLINK [125] NWR SEIU HEALTHLINK $1,803.50 ↓ -58%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA ASA $1,893.68 ↓ -55%
CHOICECARE [177] NWR CHOICE CARE $1,918.92 ↓ -55%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NWR PHCS PPO $2,272.41 ↓ -46%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NWR UHC CORE $2,274.00 ↓ -46%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NWR THE ALLIANCE $2,316.78 ↓ -45%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NWR HFN PLATINUM EPO $2,524.90 ↓ -41%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NWR UHC HMO/PPO $2,527.00 ↓ -40%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NWR HFN PPO $2,633.11 ↓ -38%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA BEHAVORIAL BHS $2,705.25 ↓ -36%
BEECHSTREET [176] NWR BEECHSTREET $2,885.60 ↓ -32%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $3,607.00 ↓ -15%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NWR NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $3,607.00 ↓ -15%
GLOBAL EXCEL [1712] NWR MEDICARE not published by hospital
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADV [2304] NWR BLUE CROSS MEDICARE ADVT not published by hospital
ALTERNATE HUMANA MEDICARE ADV [2409] NWR HUMANA MEDICARE ADVT not published by hospital

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ER Visit (level 4) at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $4,782.60 $346.84 – $977.19
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $719.40 $209.00 – $563.53
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $715.00 $437.76 – $724.38
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $1,110.00 $643.63 – $3,426.00
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $4,049.15 not published
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $1,020.00 $643.63 – $3,263.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $1,255.00 $643.63 – $3,426.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $1,036.96 $21.67 – $331.27

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →