Assay of urine sulfate at United Hospital

333 Smith Ave N. St. Paul, MN | 1175 Nininger Road. Hastings, MN · Allinahealth · · NPI 1457319485

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Jun 16, 2026 · Ingested Sep 17, 2026

$12.10

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.

$25.20

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.

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The hospital's undiscounted list price — almost no one pays this.

$3.23 with blue cross blue shield of minnesota vs $25.20 with all other contracted care (a b c d e g h n o r s u) — 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
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc pmap (amu) $3.23 ↓ -73%
ucare pmap (a b c d e g n o s u r h) ucare pmap (abdmnorsuv) $5.07 ↓ -58%
allina aetna medicare (u) allina aetna medicare (u) $5.11 ↓ -58%
medicare other all other medicare (u) $5.38 ↓ -56%
medicare medicare (u) $5.38 ↓ -56%
all other medicaid all other medicaid (u) $5.49 ↓ -55%
medicaid medicaid ma (u) $5.49 ↓ -55%
medica pmap (um) medica pmap (um) $5.59 ↓ -54%
bcbs bc medicare (u) $5.65 ↓ -53%
south country health alliance scha pmap (u) $5.65 ↓ -53%
medica medica medicare (u) $5.65 ↓ -53%
uhc ubh pmap uhc ubh pmap (u) $6.86 ↓ -43%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc state health plan (mu) $7.27 ↓ -40%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc premier (m u) $7.72 ↓ -36%
blue cross allina health blueprint (mu) $8.31 ↓ -31%
aetna aetna elevate (amu) $8.88 ↓ -27%
bcbs bc aehp (mu) $9.08 ↓ -25%
aetna aetna performance (amu) $9.45 ↓ -22%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc high value/performance network (mu) $9.74 ↓ -20%
health partners hpi pmap (amu) $10.02 ↓ -17%
blue cross blue shield of minnesota bc aware/blue plus (m u) $10.26 ↓ -15%
medica dual solutions (a u) medica dual solutions (a u) $11.19 ↓ -8%
health partners hpi medicare (amu) $11.59 ↓ -4%
aetna direct network aetna direct network (amu) $13.77 ↑ +14%
united healthcare (um) united healthcare (um) $15.25 ↑ +26%
americas ppo (araz)(a m u) americas ppo (araz)(a m u) $16.86 ↑ +39%
medica ubh (u) medica ubh (u) $17.64 ↑ +46%
americas ppo (araz) americas ppo (araz) (a c m u) $18.65 ↑ +54%
medica health system medica elect (u m) $18.71 ↑ +55%
health partners hpi cigna (mu) $18.71 ↑ +55%
medica medica essentials (u m) $19.54 ↑ +61%
medica mhps medica mhps (u m) $19.54 ↑ +61%
medica ubh pmap medica ubh pmap (u) $20.16 ↑ +67%
medica health system medica choice (u m) $20.56 ↑ +70%
first health (a c e g h u b d n o r s) first health (abdmnosurv) $21.17 ↑ +75%
all other contracted care (a b c d e g h n o r s u) all other contracted care (a b c d m h n o r s u v) $25.20 ↑ +108%

Visitor-reported prices

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Assay of urine sulfate at other Minnesota hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Sanford Canby Medical Center Canby $14.40 $4.36 – $16.20
Sanford Westbrook Hospital Westbrook $28.80 $8.72 – $32.40
Sanford Wheaton Wheaton $13.60 $4.12 – $15.30
Sanford Tracy Hospital Tracy $28.80 $8.72 – $32.40
Sanford Thief River Falls Medical Center Thief River Falls $44.00 $6.18 – $16.20
Sanford Behavioral Health Thief River Falls Thief River Falls $44.00 $6.18 – $16.20
Owatonna Hospital Owatonna $10.47 $4.64 – $13.80
Abbott Northwestern Hospital MN 55407 $12.10 $3.23 – $18.71

All Minnesota hospitals for this procedure →