Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with contrast) at Jersey Shore University Medical Center

1945 NJ-33, Neptune City, NJ · Hackensack Meridian Health · · NPI 1790297547

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

$395.29

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.

$4,149.00

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.

$395.29 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 $395.29 ↑ +0%
HORIZON BCBS BRAVEN MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $395.29 ↑ +0%
VACCN ALL PRODUCTS $395.29 ↑ +0%
OPTUM HEALTH MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $395.29 ↑ +0%
WELLCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $395.29 ↑ +0%
UNITED COMMUNITY/AMERICHOICE MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $415.06 ↑ +5%
AETNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $430.87 ↑ +9%
UNITED HEALTHCARE DSNP $474.35 ↑ +20%
KARNA MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $515.56 ↑ +30%
CIGNA HMO $615.97 ↑ +56%
CIGNA PPO $615.97 ↑ +56%
ACTIVECARE FIRST MCO ALL PRODUCTS $650.00 ↑ +64%
AETNA PPO $682.46 ↑ +73%
AETNA HMO $682.46 ↑ +73%
AETNA MANAGED MEDICAID $688.73 ↑ +74%
CLOVER MEDICARE ADVANTAGE $746.82 ↑ +89%
UNITED HEALTHCARE MANAGED MEDICAID $951.00 ↑ +141%
SEOUL MEDICAL GROUP ALL PRODUCTS $958.42 ↑ +142%
AMERIHEALTH LOCAL HMO $1,075.10 ↑ +172%
AMERIHEALTH REGIONAL HMO $1,093.69 ↑ +177%
UNITED HEALTHCARE HMO $1,131.05 ↑ +186%
OXFORD ALL PRODUCTS $1,131.05 ↑ +186%
QUALCARE HMO $2,083.00 ↑ +427%
QUALCARE WORKERS COMP $2,159.00 ↑ +446%
BRIGHTON HEALTH PLAN ALL PRODUCTS $2,862.81 ↑ +624%
HORIZON WORKERS COMP $2,998.07 ↑ +658%
HORIZON PIP $3,161.54 ↑ +700%
AETNA ASA $3,248.67 ↑ +722%
QUALCARE PPO $3,291.00 ↑ +733%
HORIZON OMNIA $3,291.82 ↑ +733%
CIGNA BH $3,319.20 ↑ +740%
MULTIPLAN - PHCS ALL PRODUCTS $3,526.65 ↑ +792%
BEACON ALL PRODUCTS $3,903.00 ↑ +887%
HORIZON SHP $4,027.43 ↑ +919%
HORIZON HMO $4,048.59 ↑ +924%
HORIZON INDEMNITY $4,092.99 ↑ +935%
HORIZON PPO $4,149.00 ↑ +950%
BERGEN RISK ALL PRODUCTS $4,332.00 ↑ +996%
HORIZON MANAGED MEDICAID not published by hospital
AMERIGROUP MANAGED MEDICAID not published by hospital
UBH ALL PRODUCTS not published by hospital

Visitor-reported prices

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Upper Back (Thoracic Spine) MRI (with contrast) at other New-jersey hospitals

Hospital City Cash price Negotiated range
Trinitas Regional Medical Center Elizabeth $708.00 $145.87 – $1,037.77
Cooperman Barnabas Medical Center Livingston $799.28 $400.67 – $2,072.00
Community Medical Center Toms River $782.31 $326.00 – $2,072.00
Clara Maass Medical Center Belleville $750.25 $326.00 – $2,072.00
Newark Beth Israel Medical Center Newark $785.70 $150.16 – $2,072.00
Jersey City Medical Center Jersey City $783.82 $188.77 – $2,010.00
Monmouth Medical Center Long Branch $825.31 $326.00 – $2,072.00
Bayshore Medical Center Holmdel $395.29 $395.29 – $4,332.00

All New-jersey hospitals for this procedure →