Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with and without contrast) 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

$390.30

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.

$5,984.00

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.

$390.30 with WELLCARE vs $5,470.57 with HORIZON — 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 $390.30 ↑ +0%
HORIZON BCBS BRAVEN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $390.30 ↑ +0%
VACCN ALL PRODUCTS $390.30 ↑ +0%
WELLCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $390.30 ↑ +0%
UNITED COMMUNITY/AMERICHOICE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $409.82 ↑ +5%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $425.43 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE DSNP $468.36 ↑ +20%
KARNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $604.84 ↑ +55%
CIGNA HMO $697.44 ↑ +79%
CIGNA PPO $697.44 ↑ +79%
AETNA HMO $827.80 ↑ +112%
AETNA PPO $827.80 ↑ +112%
UNITED HEALTHCARE HMO $895.45 ↑ +129%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $951.00 ↑ +144%
CLOVER MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $1,077.12 ↑ +176%
AETNA MANAGED MEDICAID $1,107.04 ↑ +184%
SEOUL MEDICAL GROUP ALL PRODUCTS $1,226.72 ↑ +214%
AMERIHEALTH LOCAL HMO $1,531.59 ↑ +292%
AMERIHEALTH REGIONAL HMO $1,558.09 ↑ +299%
OXFORD ALL PRODUCTS $3,237.34 ↑ +729%
HORIZON PIP $3,895.58 ↑ +898%
HORIZON WORKERS COMP $4,020.65 ↑ +930%
BRIGHTON HEALTH PLAN ALL PRODUCTS $4,128.96 ↑ +958%
HORIZON OMNIA $4,321.05 ↑ +1007%
BERGEN RISK ALL PRODUCTS $4,332.00 ↑ +1010%
AETNA ASA $4,685.47 ↑ +1100%
CIGNA BH $4,787.20 ↑ +1127%
MULTIPLAN - PHCS ALL PRODUCTS $5,086.40 ↑ +1203%
HORIZON SHP $5,136.67 ↑ +1216%
HORIZON INDEMNITY $5,325.76 ↑ +1265%
HORIZON HMO $5,329.35 ↑ +1265%
QUALCARE WORKERS COMP $5,433.47 ↑ +1292%
QUALCARE HMO $5,433.47 ↑ +1292%
QUALCARE PPO $5,433.47 ↑ +1292%
HORIZON PPO $5,470.57 ↑ +1302%
HORIZON MANAGED MEDICAID not published by hospital
AMERIGROUP MANAGED MEDICAID not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Trinitas Regional Medical Center Elizabeth $938.68 $171.13 – $1,452.87
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center Livingston $1,059.71 $400.67 – $2,072.00
Community Medical Center Toms River $1,037.20 $326.00 – $2,072.00
Clara Maass Medical Center Belleville $994.69 $326.00 – $2,072.00
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Newark $1,041.70 $176.16 – $2,072.00
Jersey City Medical Center Jersey City $1,039.20 $221.46 – $2,010.00
Monmouth Medical Center Long Branch $1,094.21 $326.00 – $2,072.00
Bayshore Medical Center Holmdel $395.29 $395.29 – $4,332.00

All New-jersey hospitals for this procedure →