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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (without contrast) at Hackensack University Medical Center

30 Prospect Avenue, Hackensack, NJ · Hackensack Meridian Health · · NPI 1457456279

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Dec 31, 2025 · Ingested Aug 13, 2026

$284.66

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.

$4,016.00

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.

$227.73 with OPTUM HEALTH vs $4,332.00 with BERGEN RISK — 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
OPTUM HEALTH MANAGED MEDICAID $227.73 ↓ -20%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $283.37 ↓ -0%
OPTUM HEALTH MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $284.66 ↑ +0%
HORIZON BCBS BRAVEN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $284.66 ↑ +0%
HORIZON MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $284.66 ↑ +0%
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $284.66 ↑ +0%
VACCN ALL PRODUCTS $284.66 ↑ +0%
WELLCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $284.66 ↑ +0%
UNITED COMMUNITY/AMERICHOICE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $298.90 ↑ +5%
KARNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $376.03 ↑ +32%
CIGNA PPO $384.94 ↑ +35%
CIGNA HMO $384.94 ↑ +35%
HORIZON MANAGED MEDICAID $490.61 ↑ +72%
AETNA PPO $519.41 ↑ +82%
AETNA ASA $519.41 ↑ +82%
AETNA HMO $519.41 ↑ +82%
UNITED HEALTHCARE HMO $711.68 ↑ +150%
OXFORD ALL PRODUCTS $711.68 ↑ +150%
CLOVER MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $722.88 ↑ +154%
AMERIHEALTH LOCAL HMO $947.17 ↑ +233%
AMERIHEALTH REGIONAL HMO $947.17 ↑ +233%
AETNA MANAGED MEDICAID $1,008.02 ↑ +254%
SEOUL MEDICAL GROUP ALL PRODUCTS $1,148.58 ↑ +303%
CHN ALL PRODUCTS $1,570.61 ↑ +452%
LHP HEALTH ALL PRODUCTS $2,471.27 ↑ +768%
HORIZON OMNIA $2,630.08 ↑ +824%
HORIZON WORKERS COMP $2,765.42 ↑ +871%
INTERGROUP ALL PRODUCTS $2,811.20 ↑ +888%
HORIZON PIP $3,012.00 ↑ +958%
BRIGHTON HEALTH PLAN ALL PRODUCTS $3,172.64 ↑ +1015%
CIGNA BH $3,212.80 ↑ +1029%
MULTIPLAN - PHCS ALL PRODUCTS $3,413.60 ↑ +1099%
ACTIVECARE FIRST MCO ALL PRODUCTS $3,413.60 ↑ +1099%
QUALCARE HMO $3,542.11 ↑ +1144%
QUALCARE WORKERS COMP $3,542.11 ↑ +1144%
QUALCARE PPO $3,542.11 ↑ +1144%
HORIZON HMO $3,824.84 ↑ +1244%
HORIZON INDEMNITY $3,844.52 ↑ +1251%
HORIZON SHP $3,869.01 ↑ +1259%
HORIZON FEDERAL $3,916.40 ↑ +1276%
HORIZON PPO $3,916.40 ↑ +1276%
BERGEN RISK ALL PRODUCTS $4,332.00 ↑ +1422%
AMERIGROUP MANAGED MEDICAID not published by hospital

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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (without contrast) at other New-jersey hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Ocean University Medical Center Brick $264.17 $241.72 – $4,332.00
Bayshore Medical Center Holmdel $267.55 $267.55 – $4,332.00

All New-jersey hospitals for this procedure →