Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) CT scan (with contrast) at Monmouth Medical Center

300 2nd Ave, Long Branch, NJ · RWJBarnabas Health · · NPI 1609983790

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Mar 4, 2026 · Ingested Sep 10, 2026

$522.49

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.

$2,388.00

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.

$221.00 with Cigna vs $2,309.43 with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey — 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
Cigna Local Plus $221.00 ↓ -58%
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey NJ Health $279.10 ↓ -47%
Cigna HMO $281.00 ↓ -46%
Cigna PPO $296.00 ↓ -43%
Aetna HMO $302.68 ↓ -42%
Aetna PPO $302.68 ↓ -42%
Wellpoint Medicare Advantage $395.29 ↓ -24%
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Medicare Advantage $395.29 ↓ -24%
Fidelis Care Medicare Advantage $395.29 ↓ -24%
Aetna Medicare $395.29 ↓ -24%
Clover Health Medicare Advantage $395.29 ↓ -24%
Humana Medicare $395.29 ↓ -24%
United Healthcare Medicare $398.11 ↓ -24%
Amerihealth Regional Preferred $451.73 ↓ -14%
Amerihealth Local Value $451.73 ↓ -14%
United Healthcare Oxford Metro $493.70 ↓ -6%
United Healthcare Nexus $493.70 ↓ -6%
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Managed $590.16 ↑ +13%
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey State Benefit Plan $590.16 ↑ +13%
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Omnia $590.16 ↑ +13%
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Non-Managed $590.16 ↑ +13%
United Healthcare Community Plan $593.41 ↑ +14%
United Healthcare Oxford Commercial $603.32 ↑ +15%
United Healthcare Commercial $603.32 ↑ +15%
Fidelis Care NJ Family Care $604.88 ↑ +16%
Aetna Better Health $650.01 ↑ +24%
Emblem Health Commercial $691.76 ↑ +32%
Qualcare Inc PPO/WC $726.00 ↑ +39%
Wellcare Ambetter Health Commercial $786.63 ↑ +51%
Wellpoint NJ Family Care $1,361.16 ↑ +161%
First Health Commercial $1,432.80 ↑ +174%
Qualcare Inc HMO/POS $1,797.00 ↑ +244%
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey Worker's Comp $2,248.30 ↑ +330%
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey PIP $2,309.43 ↑ +342%

Visitor-reported prices

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Lower Back (Lumbar Spine) CT scan (with contrast) at other New-jersey hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Trinitas Regional Medical Center Elizabeth $448.22 $89.95 – $780.60
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center Livingston $514.49 $279.10 – $801.34
Community Medical Center Toms River $495.27 $221.00 – $776.70
Clara Maass Medical Center Belleville $768.74 $221.00 – $797.33
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Newark $505.75 $92.60 – $801.34
Jersey City Medical Center Jersey City $496.22 $116.41 – $836.95
Bayshore Medical Center Holmdel $395.29 $347.76 – $2,083.00
Hackensack University Medical Center Hackensack $420.58 $253.01 – $2,426.69

All New-jersey hospitals for this procedure →