ER Visit (level 5, high severity) 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

$9,892.05

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.

$14,131.50

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.

$974.46 with AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] vs $5,049.00 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 $974.46 ↓ -90%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA ALTERNATIVE $994.65 ↓ -90%
MERCY CARE HEALTH PLANS [5013] NWR MERCY CARE $1,532.37 ↓ -85%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA BROAD $1,560.14 ↓ -84%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NWR BCBS PPO $1,711.61 ↓ -83%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS PPO $1,711.61 ↓ -83%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA APCN/SP $1,736.86 ↓ -82%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA IL PREFERRED $1,792.40 ↓ -82%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS HMO $1,801.48 ↓ -82%
ALTERNATE BLUE CROSS [1402] NWR BCBS HMO $1,801.48 ↓ -82%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NWR UHC CORE $2,274.00 ↓ -77%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE SELECT $2,413.42 ↓ -76%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE PREFERRED $2,413.42 ↓ -76%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS BLUECHOICE OPTIONS $2,413.42 ↓ -76%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA $2,458.86 ↓ -75%
HEALTHLINK [125] NWR SEIU HEALTHLINK $2,524.50 ↓ -74%
UNITED HEALTHCARE [158] NWR UHC HMO/PPO $2,527.00 ↓ -74%
AETNA HEALTH PLAN [171] NWR AETNA ASA $2,650.73 ↓ -73%
CHOICECARE [177] NWR CHOICE CARE $2,686.07 ↓ -73%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NWR PHCS PPO $3,180.87 ↓ -68%
THE ALLIANCE [1703] NWR THE ALLIANCE $3,242.97 ↓ -67%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NWR HFN PLATINUM EPO $3,534.30 ↓ -64%
HEALTH'S FINEST NETWORK [126] NWR HFN PPO $3,685.77 ↓ -63%
CIGNA HEALTH PLAN [178] NWR CIGNA BEHAVORIAL BHS $3,786.75 ↓ -62%
BEECHSTREET [176] NWR BEECHSTREET $4,039.20 ↓ -59%
BLUE CROSS BLUE SHIELD [1401] NWR BCBS PAR/INDEMNITY ADP $5,049.00 ↓ -49%
MULTIPLAN/PHCS [142] NWR NON-CONTRACTED PAYORS $5,049.00 ↓ -49%
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

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ER Visit (level 5, high severity) at other Illinois hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
MercyOne Genesis Silvis Medical Center Silvis $4,962.60 $317.44 – $808.48
MercyOne Genesis Aledo Medical Center Aledo $899.40 $327.00 – $674.55
Uchicago Medicine Adventhealth Hinsdale Hinsdale $997.50 $624.78 – $1,033.86
Advocate Christ Medical Center Oak Lawn $1,690.00 $926.71 – $4,020.00
Northwestern Memorial Hospital Chicago $10,081.05 not published
Advocate Condell Medical Center Libertyville $1,505.00 $926.71 – $2,869.00
Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital Downers Grove $2,040.00 $926.71 – $4,020.00
UnityPoint Health - Trinity Moline Rock Island $1,508.39 $21.67 – $476.97

All Illinois hospitals for this procedure →