Ear cartilage graft at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital

1201 S Grand Blvd, Saint Louis, MO · SSM Health · · NPI 1942685920

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Apr 1, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$417.09

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.

$758.34

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.

$688.58 with BCBS vs $7,032.00 with Healthlink — 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
BCBS Anthem Pathway Exchange $688.58 ↑ +65%
BCBS Anthem Blue Preferred HMO/POS $703.28 ↑ +69%
BCBS Anthem Blue Access Choice All Commercial Plans $703.28 ↑ +69%
BCBS Anthem Blue Access PPO $758.07 ↑ +82%
UnitedHealthCare Non-PPO Other Commercial Plan $2,544.00 ↑ +510%
UnitedHealthCare Employee $2,595.00 ↑ +522%
UnitedHealthCare Options PPO $2,831.00 ↑ +579%
Centene Ambetter Exchange $3,148.00 ↑ +655%
Cigna All Commercial Plans $3,438.00 ↑ +724%
Aetna Carelink All Commercial Plans $3,656.00 ↑ +777%
Oscar Exchange $3,886.00 ↑ +832%
Healthlink HMO $4,866.00 ↑ +1067%
Aetna All Commercial Plans $5,646.00 ↑ +1254%
BCBS Anthem Medicare Managed Care Plan $5,810.80 ↑ +1293%
Aetna Medicare Managed Care Plan $5,929.39 ↑ +1322%
Centene Wellcare Medicare Managed Care - PPO $5,988.68 ↑ +1336%
Humana Medicare Managed Care Plan $6,030.19 ↑ +1346%
Aetna Advantra Medicare Managed Care Plan $6,047.98 ↑ +1350%
Essence Medicare Managed Care Plan $6,107.27 ↑ +1364%
Healthlink PPO $7,032.00 ↑ +1586%

Visitor-reported prices

visitor-reported
Report what you paid sign in to post

Comments

Add a comment sign in to post

Ear cartilage graft at other Missouri hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital Saint Louis $5,112.80 $585.79 – $8,785.00
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - Lake Saint Louis Lake Saint Louis not published $599.69 – $6,030.19
SSM Health DePaul Hospital - St. Louis Bridgeton not published $599.69 – $6,030.19
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital- Wentzville Wentzville not published $599.69 – $5,974.00
SSM Health St. Joseph Hospital - St. Charles Saint Charles not published $599.69 – $6,030.19
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - St. Louis Richmond Heights not published $599.69 – $6,030.19
SSM Health St. Mary's Hospital - Jefferson City Jefferson City not published $2,277.00 – $10,672.90
SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton Fenton not published $599.69 – $6,030.19

All Missouri hospitals for this procedure →