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Brain MRI (with and without contrast) at Sanford Luverne Medical Center

1600 N Kniss Ave, Luverne, MN · Sanford Health · · NPI 1497703045

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 4, 2026 · Ingested Aug 12, 2026

$4,024.00

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.

$5,030.00

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.

$374.99 with Ucare vs $4,758.38 with Medica — 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
Ucare Medicaid Managed Care $374.99 ↓ -91%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota PMAP $607.75 ↓ -85%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Commercial/Federal $1,215.50 ↓ -70%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota State Employees $1,215.50 ↓ -70%
Sanford Health Plan Align Medicare Replacement $1,770.56 ↓ -56%
Ucare Medicare Replacement $1,896.31 ↓ -53%
Aetna Medicare Replacement $1,916.43 ↓ -52%
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Medicare Replacement $1,916.43 ↓ -52%
Great Plains Medicare Advantage Medicare Replacement $1,916.43 ↓ -52%
Health Partners Medicare Replacement $1,916.43 ↓ -52%
United Healthcare Medicare Replacement $1,916.43 ↓ -52%
Primewest Medicare Replacement $1,954.16 ↓ -51%
Primewest Medicaid Managed Care $2,379.19 ↓ -41%
Sanford Health Plan Group Health/True $2,695.07 ↓ -33%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange True $2,695.07 ↓ -33%
Security Health Plan Commercial $2,766.50 ↓ -31%
Sanford Health Plan Commercial/ND Pers $3,170.41 ↓ -21%
Sanford Health Plan SD Exchange Commercial $3,170.41 ↓ -21%
Health Partners State Employees $3,465.67 ↓ -14%
Health Partners Commercial $4,024.00 ↑ +0%
United Healthcare Commercial + Top 20 $4,200.05 ↑ +4%
Aetna Commercial $4,371.07 ↑ +9%
Ucare Commercial $4,419.36 ↑ +10%
Medica Choice $4,421.37 ↑ +10%
Cigna Commercial $4,527.00 ↑ +13%
First Choice Health Network Commercial $4,527.00 ↑ +13%
Healthez Commercial $4,527.00 ↑ +13%
Multiplan Commercial $4,527.00 ↑ +13%
Medica Elect $4,758.38 ↑ +18%

Visitor-reported prices

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Brain MRI (with and without contrast) at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $4,214.40 $374.99 – $4,741.20
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $4,155.20 $374.99 – $4,674.60
Sanford Bagley Medical Center Bagley $3,930.40 $374.99 – $4,421.70
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $3,704.80 $374.99 – $4,167.90
Sanford Bemidji Medical Center Bemidji $3,930.40 $277.45 – $4,421.70
Sanford Worthington Medical Center Worthington $3,875.12 $283.44 – $4,359.50
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $4,155.20 $374.99 – $4,674.60
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $3,972.00 $374.99 – $4,468.50

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →