Cholesterol (Lipid) Test at CHRISTUS St. Francis Cabrini Hospital

3330 Masonic Dr, Alexandria, LA · Christushealth · · NPI 1639160799

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jan 13, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$21.06

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.

$81.00

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.

$13.12 with Triwest vs $121.56 with Cigna — 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
Triwest VA MM $13.12 ↓ -38%
Humana Gold Plus MM $13.12 ↓ -38%
Humana Gold Choice MM $13.12 ↓ -38%
United Healthcare All Payer $13.39 ↓ -36%
United Healthcare KM $13.39 ↓ -36%
Christus Health Med Adv MM $13.39 ↓ -36%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana MM $13.39 ↓ -36%
Arcadian Health Plan MM $13.39 ↓ -36%
Vantage Health Plan Inc. Gold Plus MM $13.39 ↓ -36%
Aetna MM $13.39 ↓ -36%
Amerihealth Caritas Louisiana KM $13.39 ↓ -36%
Coventry First Health MM $13.39 ↓ -36%
Louisiana Healthcare Connections KM $13.39 ↓ -36%
United Healthcare VA CCN MM $13.39 ↓ -36%
Healthy Blue Louisiana KM $13.52 ↓ -36%
United Healthcare MM $13.66 ↓ -35%
Humana Healthy Horizons KM $13.66 ↓ -35%
Peoples Health MM $13.79 ↓ -35%
Dignity Health MM $13.79 ↓ -35%
Wellcare MM $14.06 ↓ -33%
Aetna KM $14.06 ↓ -33%
American Health Medicare Advantage MM $14.73 ↓ -30%
AllyAlign Health MM $14.73 ↓ -30%
Christus Health HIX $18.75 ↓ -11%
Active Med PPO $23.43 ↑ +11%
LSU First Choice Verity PPO $40.50 ↑ +92%
Vantage Health Plan Inc. PPO $40.50 ↑ +92%
Humana Choicecare $45.37 ↑ +115%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana HMO $48.19 ↑ +129%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana PPO $48.19 ↑ +129%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana Trad $48.19 ↑ +129%
Gilsbar, Inc. Alliance PPO $48.60 ↑ +131%
Verity HealthNet PPO $48.60 ↑ +131%
Healthcare Highways PPO $48.60 ↑ +131%
PPOplus Llc PPO $52.65 ↑ +150%
HealthSmart Accel PPO $52.65 ↑ +150%
Multiplan PPO $56.70 ↑ +169%
Phcs PPO $56.70 ↑ +169%
Five Point Credit Union PPO $56.70 ↑ +169%
Health Management Network PPO $64.80 ↑ +208%
HealthSmart PPO $64.80 ↑ +208%
Provider Select PPO $64.80 ↑ +208%
Verity Healthnet National PPO $68.85 ↑ +227%
First Health PPO $68.85 ↑ +227%
Aetna New Business $70.41 ↑ +234%
Aetna PPO $82.84 ↑ +293%
Cigna PPO $121.56 ↑ +477%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post