Contrast exam thoracic aorta 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

$1,595.62

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.

$6,137.00

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.

$461.96 with Humana vs $7,267.58 with Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana — 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
Humana Choicecare $461.96 ↓ -71%
Amerihealth Caritas Louisiana KM $736.44 ↓ -54%
Healthy Blue Louisiana KM $736.44 ↓ -54%
Humana Healthy Horizons KM $736.44 ↓ -54%
United Healthcare KM $736.44 ↓ -54%
Louisiana Healthcare Connections KM $736.44 ↓ -54%
Cigna PPO $782.07 ↓ -51%
Aetna KM $797.81 ↓ -50%
Aetna New Business $818.05 ↓ -49%
Aetna PPO $962.42 ↓ -40%
Humana Gold Choice MM $2,934.09 ↑ +84%
Humana Gold Plus MM $2,934.09 ↑ +84%
Triwest VA MM $2,934.09 ↑ +84%
United Healthcare VA CCN MM $2,993.97 ↑ +88%
Aetna MM $2,993.97 ↑ +88%
Arcadian Health Plan MM $2,993.97 ↑ +88%
Coventry First Health MM $2,993.97 ↑ +88%
Vantage Health Plan Inc. Gold Plus MM $2,993.97 ↑ +88%
Active Med PPO $2,993.97 ↑ +88%
Christus Health Med Adv MM $2,993.97 ↑ +88%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana MM $2,993.97 ↑ +88%
United Healthcare MM $3,053.85 ↑ +91%
Vantage Health Plan Inc. PPO $3,068.50 ↑ +92%
LSU First Choice Verity PPO $3,068.50 ↑ +92%
Peoples Health MM $3,083.79 ↑ +93%
Dignity Health MM $3,083.79 ↑ +93%
Wellcare MM $3,143.67 ↑ +97%
AllyAlign Health MM $3,293.37 ↑ +106%
American Health Medicare Advantage MM $3,293.37 ↑ +106%
Gilsbar, Inc. Alliance PPO $3,682.20 ↑ +131%
Verity HealthNet PPO $3,682.20 ↑ +131%
Healthcare Highways PPO $3,682.20 ↑ +131%
HealthSmart Accel PPO $3,989.05 ↑ +150%
PPOplus Llc PPO $3,989.05 ↑ +150%
Christus Health HIX $4,191.56 ↑ +163%
Phcs PPO $4,295.90 ↑ +169%
Multiplan PPO $4,295.90 ↑ +169%
Five Point Credit Union PPO $4,295.90 ↑ +169%
Health Management Network PPO $4,909.60 ↑ +208%
HealthSmart PPO $4,909.60 ↑ +208%
Provider Select PPO $4,909.60 ↑ +208%
Verity Healthnet National PPO $5,216.45 ↑ +227%
First Health PPO $5,216.45 ↑ +227%
United Healthcare All Payer $6,438.74 ↑ +304%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana Trad $7,267.58 ↑ +355%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana HMO $7,267.58 ↑ +355%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana PPO $7,267.58 ↑ +355%

Visitor-reported prices

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Contrast exam thoracic aorta at other Louisiana hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
CHRISTUS Louisiana Surgical Hospital Alexandria not published $2,993.97 – $7,035.83
CHRISTUS Ochsner St. Patrick Hospital Lake Charles not published $521.81 – $5,656.77
CHRISTUS Ochsner Lake Area Hospital Lake Charles not published $521.81 – $5,569.78

All Louisiana hospitals for this procedure →