Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (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

$264.17

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.

$4,329.00

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.

$264.17 with WELLCARE 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
WELLCARE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $264.17 ↑ +0%
HORIZON BCBS BRAVEN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $264.17 ↑ +0%
VACCN ALL PRODUCTS $264.17 ↑ +0%
WELLCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $264.17 ↑ +0%
UNITED COMMUNITY/AMERICHOICE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $277.38 ↑ +5%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $287.95 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE DSNP $317.01 ↑ +20%
KARNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $358.53 ↑ +36%
CIGNA PPO $392.82 ↑ +49%
CIGNA HMO $392.82 ↑ +49%
AETNA PPO $468.15 ↑ +77%
AETNA HMO $468.15 ↑ +77%
UNITED HEALTHCARE HMO $559.79 ↑ +112%
CLOVER MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $779.22 ↑ +195%
AETNA MANAGED MEDICAID $800.87 ↑ +203%
SEOUL MEDICAL GROUP ALL PRODUCTS $887.45 ↑ +236%
AMERIHEALTH LOCAL HMO $944.81 ↑ +258%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $951.00 ↑ +260%
AMERIHEALTH REGIONAL HMO $961.16 ↑ +264%
OXFORD ALL PRODUCTS $2,341.99 ↑ +787%
HORIZON PIP $2,818.18 ↑ +967%
HORIZON WORKERS COMP $2,908.66 ↑ +1001%
BRIGHTON HEALTH PLAN ALL PRODUCTS $2,987.01 ↑ +1031%
HORIZON OMNIA $3,125.97 ↑ +1083%
AETNA ASA $3,389.61 ↑ +1183%
CIGNA BH $3,463.20 ↑ +1211%
MULTIPLAN - PHCS ALL PRODUCTS $3,679.65 ↑ +1293%
HORIZON SHP $3,716.01 ↑ +1307%
HORIZON INDEMNITY $3,852.81 ↑ +1358%
HORIZON HMO $3,855.41 ↑ +1359%
QUALCARE PPO $3,930.73 ↑ +1388%
QUALCARE WORKERS COMP $3,930.73 ↑ +1388%
QUALCARE HMO $3,930.73 ↑ +1388%
HORIZON PPO $3,957.57 ↑ +1398%
BERGEN RISK ALL PRODUCTS $4,332.00 ↑ +1540%
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 (without contrast) at other New-jersey hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Trinitas Regional Medical Center Elizabeth $562.34 $101.44 – $896.25
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center Livingston $634.85 $271.19 – $2,072.00
Community Medical Center Toms River $621.37 $264.17 – $2,072.00
Clara Maass Medical Center Belleville $595.90 $271.19 – $2,072.00
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Newark $624.06 $104.42 – $2,072.00
Jersey City Medical Center Jersey City $622.56 $131.27 – $2,010.00
Monmouth Medical Center Long Branch $655.52 $267.55 – $2,072.00
Bayshore Medical Center Holmdel $267.55 $267.55 – $4,332.00

All New-jersey hospitals for this procedure →