Brain MRI (with and without contrast) at CHI Health St. Elizabeth

555 South 70th Street, Lincoln, NE · Chihealth · · NPI 1336155738

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Feb 28, 2026 · Ingested Sep 16, 2026

$1,939.00

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.

$3,878.00

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.

$290.86 with Centene vs $3,102.40 with MultiPlan PHCS — 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
Centene Medicaid|IA Total Care $290.86 ↓ -85%
Amerigroup Medicaid|All Plans $290.86 ↓ -85%
IAMolina Medicaid|All Plans $296.57 ↓ -85%
Humana Medicare|All Plans $344.68 ↓ -82%
Medica Medicare|All Plans $344.68 ↓ -82%
United Medicare|All Plans $344.68 ↓ -82%
BCBS - NE Medicare|All Plans $344.68 ↓ -82%
Great Plains Medicare|All Plans $344.68 ↓ -82%
Centene Medicare|All Plans $355.02 ↓ -82%
Amerigroup Medicare|All Plans $361.91 ↓ -81%
Medica Commercial|ACO $415.53 ↓ -79%
Medica Commercial|CHI Health $640.26 ↓ -67%
Medica Commercial|All Other Plans $670.47 ↓ -65%
AMPS Commercial|All Plans $765.19 ↓ -61%
United Medicaid|Community Plan $891.94 ↓ -54%
Centene Medicaid|NE Total Care $900.86 ↓ -54%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Narrow Network $1,419.43 ↓ -27%
One World Commercial|Narrow Network $1,419.43 ↓ -27%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Narrow Network $1,419.43 ↓ -27%
Timpte Commercial|Broad Network $1,632.36 ↓ -16%
Greater Omaha Packing Commercial|Broad Network $1,632.36 ↓ -16%
Millard Public Schools Commercial|Broad Network $1,632.36 ↓ -16%
One World Commercial|Broad Network $1,632.36 ↓ -16%
ELAP Commercial|All Plans $2,210.46 ↑ +14%
Creighton University Employees Commercial|All Plans $2,359.00 ↑ +22%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Premier $2,404.36 ↑ +24%
Medica Commercial|Open Access $2,404.36 ↑ +24%
Midlands Choice Commercial|Standard $2,675.82 ↑ +38%
United Commercial|All Plans $2,805.00 ↑ +45%
MultiPlan PHCS Commercial|All Plans $3,102.40 ↑ +60%

Visitor-reported prices

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

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
CHI Health Nebraska Heart Lincoln $1,322.96 $415.53 – $2,358.32
Ogallala Community Hospital Ogallala $1,962.75 $1,239.04 – $2,731.52
CHI Health Midlands Papillion $1,863.96 $415.53 – $3,772.30
CHI Health Schuyler Schuyler $4,505.85 $1,135.48 – $6,001.80
CHI Health Immanuel Omaha $1,863.96 $415.53 – $3,772.30
CHI Health St. Mary's Nebraska City $4,013.88 $1,035.88 – $4,642.56
Lasting Hope Recovery Center Omaha $1,863.96 $754.46 – $3,772.30
CHI Health Good Samaritan Kearney $2,996.93 $415.53 – $4,569.09

All Nebraska hospitals for this procedure →