Puncture spinal lumbar diagnostic 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

$1,320.54

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.

Full explanation →

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

$5,079.00

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.

$360.84 with Louisiana Healthcare Connections vs $5,010.00 with Cigna — 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
Louisiana Healthcare Connections KM $360.84 ↓ -73%
Amerihealth Caritas Louisiana KM $360.84 ↓ -73%
United Healthcare KM $360.84 ↓ -73%
Healthy Blue Louisiana KM $364.45 ↓ -72%
Humana Healthy Horizons KM $368.06 ↓ -72%
Aetna KM $378.88 ↓ -71%
Humana Choicecare $545.00 ↓ -59%
Humana Gold Plus MM $645.57 ↓ -51%
Triwest VA MM $645.57 ↓ -51%
Humana Gold Choice MM $645.57 ↓ -51%
Arcadian Health Plan MM $658.74 ↓ -50%
Active Med PPO $658.74 ↓ -50%
Vantage Health Plan Inc. Gold Plus MM $658.74 ↓ -50%
United Healthcare VA CCN MM $658.74 ↓ -50%
Aetna MM $658.74 ↓ -50%
Coventry First Health MM $658.74 ↓ -50%
Christus Health Med Adv MM $658.74 ↓ -50%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana MM $658.74 ↓ -50%
United Healthcare MM $671.91 ↓ -49%
Dignity Health MM $678.50 ↓ -49%
Peoples Health MM $678.50 ↓ -49%
Wellcare MM $691.68 ↓ -48%
American Health Medicare Advantage MM $724.61 ↓ -45%
AllyAlign Health MM $724.61 ↓ -45%
Christus Health HIX $922.24 ↓ -30%
Aetna New Business $1,230.00 ↓ -7%
Aetna PPO $1,447.00 ↑ +10%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana HMO $1,584.22 ↑ +20%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana PPO $1,584.22 ↑ +20%
Blue Cross Blue Shield Of Louisiana Trad $1,584.22 ↑ +20%
United Healthcare All Payer $1,597.00 ↑ +21%
Vantage Health Plan Inc. PPO $2,539.50 ↑ +92%
LSU First Choice Verity PPO $2,539.50 ↑ +92%
Verity HealthNet PPO $3,047.40 ↑ +131%
Healthcare Highways PPO $3,047.40 ↑ +131%
Gilsbar, Inc. Alliance PPO $3,047.40 ↑ +131%
HealthSmart Accel PPO $3,301.35 ↑ +150%
PPOplus Llc PPO $3,301.35 ↑ +150%
Multiplan PPO $3,555.30 ↑ +169%
Phcs PPO $3,555.30 ↑ +169%
Five Point Credit Union PPO $4,020.00 ↑ +204%
Provider Select PPO $4,063.20 ↑ +208%
HealthSmart PPO $4,063.20 ↑ +208%
Health Management Network PPO $4,063.20 ↑ +208%
Verity Healthnet National PPO $4,317.15 ↑ +227%
First Health PPO $4,317.15 ↑ +227%
Cigna PPO $5,010.00 ↑ +279%

Visitor-reported prices

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