Specimen fat stain at Southern Ocean Medical Center

1140 Route 72 West, Manahawkin, NJ · Hackensack Meridian Health · · NPI 1831601590

Source: hospital's published price file ↗ · Published Dec 31, 2025 · Ingested Sep 4, 2026

$5.88

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.

$1,079.00

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.

$5.88 with WELLCARE vs $39.34 with AMERIHEALTH — 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
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.88 ↑ +0%
AMERIGROUP MANAGED MEDICAID $5.88 ↑ +0%
SEOUL MEDICAL GROUP ALL PRODUCTS $5.88 ↑ +0%
VACCN ALL PRODUCTS $5.88 ↑ +0%
CLOVER MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $5.88 ↑ +0%
WELLCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $5.88 ↑ +0%
UNITED COMMUNITY/AMERICHOICE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $6.17 ↑ +5%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $6.41 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE DSNP $7.06 ↑ +20%
AETNA MANAGED MEDICAID $7.40 ↑ +26%
KARNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $7.66 ↑ +30%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $9.47 ↑ +61%
UNITED HEALTHCARE HMO $12.07 ↑ +105%
OXFORD ALL PRODUCTS $21.64 ↑ +268%
HORIZON MANAGED MEDICAID $25.35 ↑ +331%
HORIZON PIP $26.04 ↑ +343%
HORIZON WORKERS COMP $26.88 ↑ +357%
CIGNA PPO $26.94 ↑ +358%
CIGNA HMO $26.94 ↑ +358%
HORIZON OMNIA $28.88 ↑ +391%
BERGEN RISK ALL PRODUCTS $30.00 ↑ +410%
AETNA ASA $31.32 ↑ +433%
CIGNA BH $32.00 ↑ +444%
BRIGHTON HEALTH PLAN ALL PRODUCTS $32.00 ↑ +444%
MULTIPLAN - PHCS ALL PRODUCTS $34.00 ↑ +478%
AETNA PPO $34.08 ↑ +480%
AETNA HMO $34.08 ↑ +480%
HORIZON SHP $34.34 ↑ +484%
AMERIHEALTH LOCAL HMO $34.74 ↑ +491%
HORIZON INDEMNITY $35.60 ↑ +505%
HORIZON HMO $35.62 ↑ +506%
QUALCARE WORKERS COMP $36.32 ↑ +518%
QUALCARE HMO $36.32 ↑ +518%
QUALCARE PPO $36.32 ↑ +518%
HORIZON PPO $36.57 ↑ +522%
AMERIHEALTH REGIONAL HMO $39.34 ↑ +569%
HORIZON BCBS BRAVEN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Specimen fat stain at other New-jersey hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Trinitas Regional Medical Center Elizabeth $6.47 $0.61 – $24.03
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center Livingston $6.47 $0.98 – $24.03
Community Medical Center Toms River $6.47 $0.98 – $24.03
Clara Maass Medical Center Belleville $6.47 $0.98 – $24.03
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Newark $6.47 $0.98 – $24.03
Jersey City Medical Center Jersey City $6.47 $0.79 – $24.03
Monmouth Medical Center Long Branch $6.47 $0.98 – $24.03
Bayshore Medical Center Holmdel $5.88 $5.88 – $26.94

All New-jersey hospitals for this procedure →